Her Captor's Master
by furysflame666
Summary: Ichiban Shinko taught the blade. She knew how to fight. Little did she know that her weapon of choice was coveted by beings beyond her comprehension.
1. Chapter 1

Please be nice. This is a very old story I wrote about a year and a half ago that I decided to publish here. ;

* * *

It was after sword practice one night, and Shinko was walking home. Over one shoulder was a bag holding a few of her blades. Some padded swords, a bokken (wooden sword), and her prized metal wakizashi (medium sized samurai sword). She carried them nonchalantly, as if they were all custom made for her alone.

She was walking down a street in the large city that she lived in. Her parents were rarely home and Shinko could seldom get a ride to her dojo about a mile away. It didn't bother her too much, though; she always thought it would be better for her training.  
The sky was dark. Sword practice had gone on longer than the young instructor had originally thought.

Dressed in her full dogi (martial arts uniform), which consisted of a dark blue keikogi, the uniform top, and a black hakama, the traditional samurai skirt, she attracted quite a few curious glances. She shrugged them off as she did every night, knowing that the onlooker's ignorance could be forgiven.

Shinko took her normal route, which was about a half hour walk, until she realized that she would not be home in time to finish her schoolwork and get in extra sword practice.

Then, an alley caught her eye. It was a direct shortcut to her home. With a quick glance to see if anyone was around or in the alleyway, Shinko began to walk down the path that would lead to her home. It would be a normal night, she believed.

Or so she thought.

Another form caught her eye as she passed, one that had not been there a moment before. It was a dark silhouette of a person, a male, upon closer inspection. Shinko did not halt, even when the figure spoke.

"I haven't seen you around here before. Are you new to the neighborhood?" the male asked in a taunting, malicious voice.

Shinko was known for her silence unless her voice was absolutely needed, and this instance did not apply, she reasoned. The American samurai kept walking.

"How rude, I believe I asked you a question. It would be wise to answer it, or at least acknowledge that I'm speaking to you by bowing your head, you little bitch!" the man yelled.

Still keeping silent, Shinko turned around slowly to face the bother.

He wants to pick a fight with me? Shinko thought, Does it look like I can't defend myself?

The man smirked. It revealed a tooth that seemed like a fang.

"There we go, now..." he began, but the samurai wasn't listening.

He filed down his teeth? Quite unusual. she thought.

Feeling uncomfortable, Shinko began to reach into her sword bag to find her wakizashi. She never finished the motion.

Faster than what her eyes could track, the man grabbed her and slammed her against the alley wall, with his right hand holding Shinko's wrist and his left clamped tightly about her throat.

The impact made Shinko gasp in pain, and wince against the vice grip on her neck. Now she was in this man's mercy.

"You should listen to your superiors when they're talking to you." The stranger suggested. His flesh was cold, as if there was no life left in his body, which made Shinko shiver slightly. The touch was a shock to her now quickly heating up skin. She could feel the man's breath on her face, and, like his skin, it was cold, and smelled of death and blood.

She could also see the man's features, being so close. He had rich red hair, and truly dark blue eyes. They would seem black from a distance, Shinko guessed, but seeing them from inches away showed a different color.

A small amount of fear filled her, and the man seemed to feed of the terror, and smirked again.

"I was told to spare your life, but you look too delicious to resist." He whispered in her ear, and Shinko shivered slightly once more.

He opened his mouth wide to reveal a matching fang to the first. His hand slid up Shinko's neck to reveal a place to bite. Knowing that it would be do or die, Shinko lifted her right hand, which the foolish male had forgotten to pin down, and jammed her first two fingers into his left eye. Then, she wrenched her fingers out, trying to pull the eyeball out with it, but unfortunately failing.

The man yelled in pain and clutched his now blinded eye, and that gave Shinko the opportunity she needed to yank her metal blade from her sword bag.

She tore the sheath off the sword and threw it to the ground. Before the man could react, she impaled the male with her wakizashi through the stomach.

He spat blood and gasped for air, with some of the red liquid landing on Shinko. Her body moved on its own, and she did not realize what she did until the body of her attacker slumped slightly and the blood from his torso spilled onto her hands.

As if waking from a dream, Shinko's arms started to tremble violently and her eyes became moist.

What did I do?! she thought frantically, I killed him! No! I'm not _allowed_ to kill!

In response to this pause, the man somehow grabbed the front of her dogi, defying death. His body lurched toward the samurai, and she lifted her left hand to block as best she could. The fangs of her attacker dug into her forearm, and Shinko cried in pain. There was no fabric to soften the blow, since the keikogi's sleeves stopped at the elbow. She could feel the man smirk in victory.

Shinko rapidly pulled the sword from his stomach, which caused his body to spasm, release her arm to cough up more blood, and fall limp. Without anything to support him, he fell to the ground. As quickly as her body would allow, Shinko snatched her sheath to her wakizashi, not bothering to grab the rest of her swords and made a dash towards her home.

A hand grabbing at her ankle stopped her.

Lying in a pool of his own blood, blind in one eye, and still not dead somehow, the man tried to stop the samurai from running. He cursed at her in another language and tried to pull her to the ground. Shinko kicked at his face, which made him release her, and ran to her home, not daring to look back and not slowing her pace for an instant.


	2. Chapter 2

Shinko ripped the door open and locked it behind her, not sure how much help it would be if the man tried to pursue her again. A few steps into her home, she fell to her knees and held her face in her hands, not even bothering to look at the grievous wound she had received. The room was dark, for night had already fallen. Some moonlight filtered through a window to her right, but very little.

She wept; for, she had broken her promise not to kill. It was one of many for the Christian faith. She grabbed at the crucifix necklace that lay hidden underneath her uniform and held it gently. Shinko cried still, begging the Lord to forgive her in her mind.  
I k-killed him. I killed a person! I will forever be damned, I cannot be forgiven! she thought between sobs, I killed a person...

"Oh, I don't think you need to worry..." a voice came from across the room, "He wasn't human, so technically, I think you're safe."

Shinko snapped her neck upward to see another man about ten feet from her. He was a tall one, about 6'. From where she was hunched over, she couldn't see his face, but his voice made him sound demonic. Her eyes narrowed and she tried to stand, but she fell to one knee and winced in pain. There was something in her blood now, it came from the wound, and she held it to try to stop the pain.

The man took a few steps closer, "Ah, I see you dealt with my meager, foolish friend. He was always a dumb one, not waiting for you to be disarmed seemed to be his downfall."

Shinko saw his face now, brilliant silver hair and the darkest eyes she had ever seen.

Even though they were as black as the shadows themselves, they seemed to glow with their own wicked light. He was wearing a long, dark coat that fell to just above the ankle, and the rest of his wardrobe was matching in color, with odd markings dotting the material.

"He's not even dead, so stop crying. Though, I don't think he'll survive unless he's treated quickly. I'm not going to bother, what use is he to me half-blind and half-dead?" the malevolent intruder turned his head towards the window, which had a clear view of the red haired man crawling towards Shinko's home. "Once you're taken care of, I'll dispose of him.

"I must say," he turned his head to look at Shinko and continued, "You are quite skilled with a blade to be able to deal with a blood sucking tick such as him. Even if you didn't finish the job, you still hurt him to the point where I can kill him for you."

Shinko's brow furrowed, and again she tried to stand, but failed miserably and fell to the ground, only being supported by her untainted right arm. Her body started to shake, and her vision began to blur when the man finally explained.

"That idiot always had venom in his fangs to help kill his enemies. I personally thought it was useless, but now look how much help it did me: I don't even have to lift a finger to do my job."

"Y-you bastard...how can you talk about a comrade like that?" Shinko said, but was cut off halfway by a jolt of pain making her cry out and collapse on the floor. The sadness had long stopped, and was replaced by fear and anger.

She could hear the man's footsteps as he walked over to her. She could see the shadow that hung over her and could feel the man's eyes on her. And, she knew she was powerless to stop the stranger.

Suddenly, the man dug his shoe's heel into Shinko's blood-soaked arm, which made her scream in pain. He crouched down and said quietly, "I can because I own him," he somehow knew the rest of what she was going to say even though it was interrupted, which shook Shinko profoundly, "and if you want to live, you should keep your mouth shut, you ungrateful insect!"

Shinko's breathing came in labored gasps as the venom worked its way throughout her system. The wound was bleeding heavily, which didn't help her situation in the least. Between the two, the poison and the blood loss, she wondered how she was even still living.

"Don't worry, I won't let you die. I'm not allowed to let you die." He answered the question that she couldn't ask.

What? Shinko asked in her mind, but did not dare to ask aloud for fear of the venom's pain engulfing her again.

"Don't worry, my dear, your questions will be answered soon. If you survive, perhaps." He replied. Shinko was sure of it now; he could read her mind, which was bad since she didn't speak much.

Her thoughts were cut off by another wave of pain that went through her body. It caused her body to spasm much like the man outsides did when Shinko retracted her sword from his stomach. The pain was unbearable, and the blood came out more rapidly now.

"Shut up." The man said cruelly. He lifted his foot and kicked Shinko's head, which made her stop yelling immediately.

The hell that was this situation was nothing to Shinko now; all was consumed by blackness.


	3. Chapter 3

When Shinko awoke, she could see nothing. Engulfed by darkness, her senses skyrocketed. She could hear even the slightest shuffle; feel the tiniest prick on her skin. Her arms were restrained by heavy chains, which only gave her a slight slack to rest them. She was in a sitting position, with her arms hanging at her sides. Shinko could still feel a slight tingle from the venom that man had injected into her.

As if realizing where she was, Shinko tugged violently at the restraints to see if they would give, but they held strong. After trying countless more times, she stopped and tried to gaze at her surroundings once more. Her eyes had adjusted a bit more, and she could see that she was in a small stone chamber, with no furnishings and one rock staircase that lead to a door made of an unknown, dark wood.

When she calmed herself and her heartbeat slowed, Shinko fell within herself, trying to sort out all that had happened when she was last awake. She remembered the man who was in her house, and how he spoke of his comrade. She could remember that he could see her thoughts and had said that he couldn't let her die. Why, Shinko could not fathom.

The chamber door opened then, and revealed that man, the one that had knocked her out, for whatever reason. He stepped slowly down the stone stairs, eyeing his captive. Shinko's eyes narrowed and her arms came up in a defensive position, whatever good that would do. She bunched her body up so that there was little to no open avenues for attack. When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he lit a candle to allow a dim light to bathe the room.

Shinko wondered why he would even do such a thing. Why would he give a prisoner a reprieve when he could use the darkness to strike at her?

"Do I seem that cruel?" he asked her suddenly. Again, he read her thoughts. It made the samurai even more on edge.Shinko offered no answer, and used the training in concentration from her martial arts to clear her mind of all thoughts.

He came closer. Keeping her mind clear was becoming more difficult than it already was.

"Your trick won't work on me, although, you're quite good at it." He said, crouching down to just above Shinko's eye level. He smirked slightly.

Then, the samurai lurched forward in an attempt to strike down the man. Her bindings held true, however, and she stopped barely an inch from his body. Shinko's arms were pulled back, still fighting against the chains, and her face close to the man's.

Damn it! she yelled in her head.

From this distance away, she could see that the man looked quite amused.

"Did you actually think that would work? I built this chamber myself; I would be a fool not to know of every inch of this room. Good effort, I must say." He said, not backing down in the least. In fact, it seemed that he inched closer, which made Shinko pull back slightly in discomfort.

The chains became slack once again, but not before Shinko spat in her captor's face.

It made the samurai feel more in control, until the man pulled back his hand and formed it into a fist.

"You little-" he mumbled, and his hand flew forward. Shinko winced slightly, waiting for the blow to come, but it stopped millimeters from her nose. His shoulders visibly bobbed with a deep inhale and exhale.

His fingers opened and rested on Shinko's still unharmed cheek. The man's hand felt as ice, which made her shiver and pull back even more, until the samurai could feel the cold wall against the back of her head. She could feel her body temperature rising, and Shinko began to sweat somewhat.

"See what you almost made me do?" the man asked while slowly and gently caressing Shinko's cheek. He moved closer, so there was virtually no distance between her and her captor. She turned her head away, but he used the hand on her face to make her look back at him. Again, she tried to move away, but his hand slid down to her chin and held her face in that position. Shinko started to tremble, failing miserably to hold her resolve. He seemed to enjoy every second of it, although he was stone-faced, she could feel it. His tone turned deathly serious, "I hold your life in my hands. I have the power to kill you right now if I wished it. You're about a paper's width away from dying, but, if you act like a good little prisoner, I might spare you. And never forget, you're in my mercy."

He quickly turned and started to walk away. Severely shaken, Shinko couldn't get a word past a lump in her throat. She stared at the wall opposite to her, in a daze. The candlelight diminished, and Shinko could hear the man's footsteps up the stairs.

Finally, she muttered a reply.

"Weakling."

It was barely above a whisper, and Shinko knew it wasn't an intelligent thing to say, but it was the only thing she could use to describe her opinion of him at the time.

There came a rush of wind and the samurai was torn from her sitting position by her throat. She could see the evil glow of the man's eyes as they viewed her, they were full of rage.

The chains that restrained her tugged on her wrists, cutting into them when her captor pulled her higher than the chains could reach. She could feel his breath, which had the stench of blood, Shinko was sure.

"What was that?" he asked harshly through clenched teeth. His grip was indeed strong, and it blocked almost all air from entering or exiting Shinko's body.

She tried to get her hands up to grab at his arm, but that resulted in the cuffs on her wrists to cut more deeply into her hands. She could feel her own blood on her fingers now.

"Th-those who fight at an advantage against the same person more than once must not be confident in their own abilities. It makes them weaker than the smallest infant." Shinko replied, barely getting all of the words out.

She knew a painful blow was coming, but the fact that she was successful in enraging her captor was worth it. Shinko knew that that could be his downfall, given the right opportunity.

"You are a very infuriating little girl. If I had the time, I'm sure I could beat that out of you. You're lucky though, I have an arrangement to get to, so I'm going to let you live, for now." He said.

Shinko was half-amazed that she was still unharmed, for the most part. God was with her, she thought, and believed.

The man dropped her to the ground without saying a word about her thoughts. Perhaps he couldn't read all of them, but she was not sure. Shinko landed with a sharp thud, with her chains trailing after her. She made sure she didn't make a sound, so her captor couldn't have the satisfaction of it.

He went up the staircase quicker than before, but still at a leisurely pace. He opened the chamber door, which let more light in, but only a small amount. The samurai could see him toss something down to her and it landed on the ground with a small "chk" sound. She could tell it was glass, but it was strong, for it did not shatter.

"It's the cure for my late friend's venom. Take it, if you wish. Or, you could let the poison take you. I won't be chastised if you take your own life. It's up to you." Shinko's captor explained and left, leaving the samurai in darkness.


	4. Chapter 4

For many moments, Shinko sat there, trying to understand all that had happened to her in the last few hours. Was it hours? Shinko wondered. It could be days since she had been kidnapped, and she wouldn't know. It didn't seem important now, the samurai figured as she searched blindly for the vial. 

At last, she found it, and took it in her hands that were now smeared with drying blood. 

Is he telling the truth? Can I trust him? she questioned in her mind. Can I truly believe anything he says? This could be poison. How would I know? 

On one hand, she could drink this unknown elixir, and possibly die from it. The other option is refuse to drink it, and almost surely die from her previous injury. Both were unsure in the outcome, but only one led to possible reprieve. 

As her wounded throbbed once more, she made a decision. 

I must pray for God's grace and take a chance. 

With that, she opened the vial and gulped down the dark liquid. 

It had no flavor to it at first, but then came a burning after-taste. The samurai was beginning to have second thoughts. Then, more pain came. She tasted bile in her mouth and vomited. 

After, her body started to shake and become numb. She didn't know what was happening to her, but she hoped for the best. 

God help me, God help me, God help me... she echoed again and again in her thoughts. 

A wave of pain came and she cried out in agony. She held her throat tightly, as if it would stop the ache, but it was unsuccessful. 

What happening to me?!?! she cried in her head, for no comprehensible words would form on her lips. Just screams of pain. 

Then, as quickly as it began, it stopped, and her body became completely numb. She couldn't move, but Shinko was still conscious. When the pain came again, her throat constricted, so even a word could not get out. 

Paralyzed and silent, Shinko could only pray and hope she would live. 

What was the point of the chains? Shinko mused, If this would be the effect of that substance? 

Her body became cold, either to the temperature in the room dropping, or her own body heat lowering her into the grip of death. The first, she hoped. Shinko was thankful she still was dressed in a heavy dogi, at least. It would keep her somewhat warm, she hoped. 

D-damn him... she said in her mind as another wave of pain overtook her, DAMN HIM! 

She could only sit and bare it; she had no way of easing the throb. It felt like her head was splitting in two, that her limbs were being torn from her body. Unbearable, but still, somehow, she did not lose consciousness. 

That must be one of the elixir's traits. She concluded, May the Lord have mercy on his tainted soul! 

It went on for seconds, minutes, perhaps hours. There was no way to measure time, nor did Shinko want to, or could she, with so much pain. 

However, even with so much pain, with so much agony, she kept praying. Every time the pain ceased for a moment, she hoped she would survive. No matter how much torture her body would go through, she could not wish for death, for fear of being condemned to hell. She did not want death; it would be too easy. If she died, she could not deliver the Lord's wrath onto her captor. When she was given the chance, Shinko promised herself, she was going to make him pay.

In her present state, Shinko could not find rest. Although the jolts of pain would cease for seconds, and if she were lucky, minutes at a time, it still was not enough to allow her to sleep. She did not know how long she sat there, huddled up against the cold. If her body was able to move, she could have found a more comfortable position to rest in, but the paralysis held strong. 

At times, she fell within herself, to try to forget the pain and despair of the situation, thinking of nothing, simply just living. Shinko, at other times, thought of more pleasant memories, and of how blessed she was to have that life. 

Then the pain came again, and all was washed away. 

After what felt like days to the young samurai, but was actually a much shorter period, the chamber door opened again. Two men came in, both cloaked in black. She was sure they were another pair of her captor's lackeys. When the door shut, Shinko could see nothing, and again her senses went up. She could hear their footsteps, and even hear each of them breathing. 

It didn't matter really. She could not move, speak and of course not fight back. 

"This is the one?" one asked the other. 

A period of silent followed, where Shinko guessed the reply was a nod. 

"Did he really have to use so much? I mean, look at her." The same one as before commented. 

She could feel their eyes on her, but it didn't matter after the wave of agony came again. Shinko tried to show as little suffering as possible, which, at this point, was almost useless. Although her mind hadn't given up yet, her body long ago ceased to listen to her commands. 

"Come on, we'd better do this quick." The other instructed. 

The chains were sliced away, leaving only the cuffs sitting on Shinko's wrists. 

"Why does it matter? He said that as long as she lives, it doesn't matter what happens to her." The first man stated. 

"Just pick her up and let's go. I want to be done as soon as possible." The second ordered and Shinko was lifted from the ground and tossed onto the shoulder of the first man. "Wait, hold on. I almost forgot." 

A searing pain hit the back of Shinko's head, though it wasn't nearly as bad as the hell she had been through so far, it was still enough to send her into blackness. 

"He told us to do that before she was transported."


	5. Chapter 5

_The pain.. please don't let it start again. No… not again, it's too much... Please no, I can't survive another...please... Why is it I that is so important? How did I anger the Lord so much? What did I do? How can I set things right? How do I take the pain away..._

Those questions echoed throughout Shinko's unconscious mind as she was transported to her captor's master. She was in the back of a truck, lying on one of the seats. The chains that once held the samurai's arms were replaced with thick handcuffs that allowed much more movement. It didn't matter, of course, since the unknown substance's effect was still in place. Her face was almost expressionless, except for the slight furrow of her brow. It made her seem in pain, and the beads of sweat falling from her face backed that assumption. Strands of hair stuck in place on her forehead, and her usually high-maintenance uniform was disheveled.

Right beside her, her captor sat, close to her head. His fingertips were lightly touching her forehead, looking into his prisoner's dream and thoughts. She kept thanking and apologizing to her God, saying that whatever she did to anger him was wrong and she was sorry.

He still did not know the name of this one; it was trapped in the back of her mind. For some reason, he could not pierce through her mind as he could do with others. That's what troubled him. Is this the reason his master wanted her so badly? It couldn't be _just_ that; there was something more to the girl that he could not see.

_Her willpower is unimaginably high. Her faith is rewarded, no doubt. How annoying..._ the man thought, as he probed deeper into the samurai's mind. _Where does she get all of this strength?!_

He was growing more frustrated by the minute. No matter how hard he looked through the mind of this child, he could not find answers to his questions. In fact, these instances gathered even more mysteries together.

The samurai's captor wanted to get some information from this girl before he delivered her to his master, but now it seemed impossible. Even unconscious, her mental barriers were great. How powerful are they when she is awake? He wondered.

_Yes, there is something special about this one_, he thought, and increased his grip on her face slightly, _It makes me want to crush her head._

To her dismay, Shinko at last awoke. She knew the liquid's effects were still in place, and she didn't want the pain to come again.

Shinko was in another dark room, where, this time, she could not see at all, no matter how much her eyes could adjust.

The samurai sat up, which was an amazing feat, since the last time she was awake she was paralyzed. All that bound her now were heavy handcuffs, which were easy to work around.

_Just another training exercise at the dojo_. she thought, and remembered back in her martial arts school to when students were to bind their wrists together and try to fight. It was an enjoyable exercise, indeed.

She believed this until she tried to stand, and felt a weight about her neck. Shinko grabbed her neck to find a thick binding there, which attached to some nearby wall. It gave her a great amount of slack, but the weight of the chains would slow her movements slightly. She wondered why a prisoner would be given so much mobility. The samurai could walk around blindly and even defend against attack if someone would try to kill her.

She stayed put for the moment, and evaluated the situation. Blind, her senses were crippled. Shinko realized how much her fighting style depended on sight. If she ever were presented with the chance to train again, she would change it.

An intense light filled the entire room, so powerful, Shinko at first had to shield her eyes from it. After a moment, she lifted her arms from the front of her face and looked about. This chamber was larger than she expected, but the dark walls contrasted to the amount of light in the room. She tried looking to the ceiling, but made a horrible discovery.

It was a battle arena.

Immediately she felt trapped, felt like a rooster or a dog trained to fight in illegal matches. Only, how was she to fight effectively bound?

Shinko would have to figure that puzzle out, for the samurai knew that no one would release her.

Above her head were stands and seats for spectators. Many filled this place and she found her former captor among them. He stood behind a much more imposing figure, which was at least three inches taller. From that point of view, none of the large man's features could be determined. The smaller man held an expressionless gaze, and looked directly forward.

Chatter sprang up among various place in the audience, all were about her, Shinko believed. Severely confused, the samurai backed up a few steps and put hers hands up in a defensive position.

A voice boomed throughout the crowd, one that commanded silence. It was the voice of her captor's master, she thought.

"Attention, everyone. I give you, the human female who will do battle!" he projected.

Cheers and boos came from all sides, so loud that it hurt Shinko's ears at one point.

_Human female...?_ Shinko wondered.

Why would he describe her as that unless they weren't of the same species? That was the samurai's fear.

"And she will fight against one of our top champions this night. I give you, Human Slayer!" he announced.

_Human Slayer? God help me..._ she thought at the unorthodox name.

From a large metal gate that appeared on the wall fifty feet away from her, a relatively large form came. When the shadows ceased, she could see that the man was dressed in a dark cloak, much as the ones who transported her were. Black hair, dark eyes and a malevolent smirk were on his face and head. In a scabbard strapped to his back was a huge sword. Designed to cut down his opponents, no doubt, Shinko thought.

_They expect me to fight, chained up, unarmed against him? With the Lord's grace and my skill, I suppose. Maybe I could... _her thoughts were cut short by her captor yelling, "Begin!"

The Human Slayer ran forward, tearing his sword from the sheath in the process. His strike was going to be a forward thrust, Shinko could see, and she lurched toward the wall that held her bound, so she would have slack in the chains. He ran past, but pivoted quickly and changed his strike into a diagonal slash. As quickly as her legs would move, she  
ran the opposite way, trying to get as much chain under the sword as possible, so she could be freed.The sword made contact with the chain and sliced cleanly through it. Cheers sprang up again in the crowd. As soon as she was freed, she picked the chain up and held it in her two hands. She had never used a whip-like weapon before, but she would have to make do, or perish.

From his heavy stance, the Slayer twisted his wrist, which in turn flipped the blade around and shot forward, hoping to skewer the human where she stood.

Shinko, in that moment, felt a pain in her chest and flinched. It was happening again, the elixir's pain. Still trying to save herself, she threw her body to the right, but it wasn't enough.

She was clipped by the sword's edge on the upper arm, which made quick work of her keikogi sleeve, and tore straight into the flesh. Blood flooded from her arm and she screamed in pain. She fell to the ground, which unexpectedly saved her from the horizontal slash the Slayer made seconds after he had stuck her. Knowing that she was vulnerable on the ground, Shinko shifted her weighted back and rolled backwards and onto her feet again. However, before she was able to fix her balance, the assailant kicked her in the stomach, which had unearthly power, and slammed her into the wall behind her, fifteen feet away.

She skidded down the wall slightly, clutching her wounded left arm. In that hand, she still held the chain that bound her moments earlier. The Human Slayer ran forward, trying to impale Shinko. As he came closer, she started to spin the chain, until it made a sound in the air. When the Slayer was close enough, the samurai sidestepped the attack, and moved around to his right side. From this angle, the transition to attack to defense for the man was difficult, Shinko believed. Using the momentum built from the spin, the samurai whipped the chain forward and struck the Slayer's face. It hurt Shinko's wounded arm to lurch forward so violently, but it would be worth it if her enemy moved correctly.

He did. In response to the attack, the Slayer took his left hand off his blade to hold his face. With that movement, Shinko dropped her former weapon and ran forward to grab his right wrist. She twisted it so the elbow was facing the ceiling, and then let go, so she could use all of her weight in a dropping palm heel to the exposed elbow, hoping to dislocate it. The samurai couldn't hear the distinct "pop" of the joint, but it did make the man release his sword, and it fell to the ground. Cheers came again, and the samurai wasn't finished yet.

She went for another joint, the knee. Shinko low thrust kicked, hopefully destroying another bone and causing enough pain to end the match.

It didn't, though. The move only seemed to enrage her opponent. He grabbed the front of her keikogi top, with his right hand made a fist, and slammed it into Shinko's face. Her head lurched to the side, with blood and spit flying from her mouth. She knew that her jawbone cracked, and at worst, shattered.

When the Slayer brought his arm back for another strike, Shinko put her arms in an X shape. His arm came forward and it hit the blocking arms. She again flipped her hands about and twisted his wrist, making him come forward. In this position, the Slayer's face was exposed and she made useful this opportunity and slammed her elbow into his nose, which should have killed a human.

Now she was positive, her foe wasn't human, for he did not fall.

It just made him use the grip on the front of her dogi to launch her across the arena.

She slammed onto the ground and bursts of sound came from the crowd. At first, she was unable to move, but after realizing that she was vulnerable on the ground, she sat up. Again, the man was charging at her. The grip on his sword looked very loose this time, thanks to her previous strikes. Also, his charge was much slower, probably from the injured leg.

She lifted herself up and readied her defense. Or, so it seemed. When he came close enough, Shinko sidestepped and held her arms out to the left. The Slayers sword cut though the handcuffs and Shinko crouched down, her hands going under the sword. She kicked up from that position into her assailant's groin, which made him drop his blade and fall to his knees. Then, she unleashed a powerful yell and side kicked him in the head, which made the Human Slayer fall to the ground.

Shinko ran to his dropped weapon and with much difficulty, picked it up. She was thankful the sword arm was traditionally the right, since her left was damaged. Now, with both hands, and a slight wince because her arm, she dug the tip into the right side of his chest, purposely missing the heart.

Blood poured from the injury as she dug deeper into his body. He yelled in pain, but was in a position too awkward to do anything about it. When Shinko was sure he was not able to get up again, she released the hilt of the Human Slayer's sword and stepped back. Moments later, she fell to her knees, breathing heavily. She knew she had lost too much blood, and her body was at the limit. Shinko held her wounded arm to try to stop the bleeding, which hadn't stopped even though the wound was acquired minutes ago.

Cheers came from the crowd, along with all-too-obvious shouts of disapproval. A voice rang out again, which now Shinko recognized.

"The victor, ladies and gentleman, unfortunately not by fatality," her captor's master declared, adding a detail that showed the often-gruesome result of these matches, "the human female!"

Many more disapproving yells came from the audience then.

"Although I must add, though they are champions in the ring, they are weaklings in our society. So don't get too cocky, human." He added, drawing amused chuckles from the crowd. It made Shinko feel weak and insignificant.

Her body was in too much pain for her to take too much notice in it. Shinko's head throbbed, and her breathing did not slow.

"Can she survive the next round? Place your bets everyone!" that statement made Shinko's stomach sink.

_No, not another...God help me, God help me_... she thought, and tried to stand, but was forced to one knee again from pain.

"Since she won the first round, she is able to wield a weapon for the next. And, since she does not own any except for one, her choices are limited." The imposing figure stated, and her former captor handed him something. It was her wakizashi.

The thought of it being in foul hands sent a shiver down her spine. Then, he threw it carelessly down into the pit and said, "Enjoy."


	6. Chapter 6

Somehow finding a new burst of energy, Shinko ran to catch the falling blade; in fear it would break on impact with the ground. She had to dive forward to catch it in time, which her body did automatically. When she held the sheathed blade, she felt a rising sense of hope. Her sword skills were much better than her open hand skills, and she wanted to make sure she wasn't wounded again. Shinko slipped it into place on her left hip and looked up to the announcer. 

"She was exhausted, but used her last bit of energy to catch her precious sword?" he chuckled, again making the creatures about laugh. 

Shinko's eyes narrowed and her hands formed into fists at her sides. With another prayer to her Lord, she stepped into the middle of the arena. Once, she even fell to one knee, drawing laughter from the audience, but she ignored them, and trudged on. When she reached her destination, the announcer spoke again. 

"I suppose she's serious now. The match before was for fun, correct, human?" he asked, making the audience snicker and cackle. 

She quickly drew her sword and sliced of the remaining bindings about her neck and hands. Shinko then deepened her stance and raised the tip of her wakizashi to meet the figure above her. With a slight wince, she replied, "Of course! What else do you have for me to fight, weakling?" 

The crowd fell silent. Apparently, the one who ran these matches was never challenged often. That particular word, "weakling", did not sit well with any of these beings. His voice was quite frustrated when he called, "Release it!" 

The gate that had opened to the Human Slayer now opened to a monstrous dog, approximately five feet at the shoulder. It had a silver coat with glowing black marks on the joints. The beast trotted out, and opened its large mouth. Rows of sharp teeth were revealed and a long tongue rolled out. It stopped about ten feet from Shinko, most likely waiting for the signal to attack and tear the human apart. It stepped on and over the Human Slayer, drawing a groan from the trapped, impaled man. 

Shinko sheathed her sword and assumed a semi-wide, low stance, holding the top of the scabbard, unsheathing her wakizashi slightly. She could hear murmurs and whispers in the crowd. She was going to end this by using battoujutsu, the fastest sword method. It was a quick-draw technique, which would fell an opponent quickly. This was good since the samurai did not know how much longer she was going to last. Shinko cleared her mind, and watched any and all movements the beastly dog made, waiting for the correct time to strike. 

The signal to begin the match came, and the canine galloped forward with amazing speed. Shinko did not move an inch; she stayed in her stance. She counted down in her head, _3, 2, 1..._

When the dog's front legs were in the air, she attacked. With speed created from thousands of repetitions, she lunged at the beast while drawing her sword out, slicing through it cleanly. The move was complete when she was behind the creature, back turned. She stayed frozen in her finishing stance for a moment, waiting for the telltale "thump" of the animal hitting the ground. 

It did not happen. 

Shinko whipped around to find the beast almost stuck in place. It did not move and the wound that the samurai had supposedly given it was no more then a line of sliced flesh. She looked down to her sword, which didn't have but a speck of blood on it. Then, the dog slowly turned towards Shinko, and bared its fangs. 

"So much for her attack." The announcers voice said, and Shinko didn't even turn to regard that he spoke. 

_One of my best moves, useless..._ Shinko thought, and went into a stance with her right foot forward, knees slightly bent and her sword in both hands. _Time for another one, I suppose…  
_

The creature lunged in again, and Shinko raised her sword up horizontally to meet its mouth. It clamped onto it, making its teeth ineffective. Unfortunately, the samurai forgot about the creatures claws. It raised one arm up and sliced through the front of her dogi. Shinko cried in pain and fell back, releasing the beast's mouth. She was bleeding heavily all over the front of her body, and didn't make matters better. The creature took this opportunity it had created to knock her to the ground and snap at her vulnerable face. Shinko moved her neck to the left to avoid the maw of the beast, and again the dog tried to slice into her with its paws. 

This time, a wakizashi sliced at the claws, not cutting them, but still helping to stop the attack. Its neck pulled back to try another bite, and again, the wakizashi stopped it, but in a different way. 

The sword went straight through the top of the creature's mouth. 

Shinko was successful in drawing blood this time, as the beast howled in pain and tried to free itself, which only resulted in a worse injury. She yanked the sword from its mouth which caused it to yelp, and with as much power as she had left, shoved it into the beast's chest, the wakizashi going at least six inches deep into where the samurai believed its heart to be. In less than a second after, the creature stopped squirming and grew silent, not breathing and not moving at all. It seemed that the crowd around her mimicked this as well. 

Shinko inhaled deeply and pulled the sword from the dog's chest and wriggled away so the beast would not crush her when it fell. It stood there for another moment, it eyes glazed with lifelessness, and then collapsed on the arena floor. 

About the samurai, it was deathly quiet. She could only hear the sound of her own heavy breathing. Shinko didn't care now, though; she was trying to treat her wounds as quickly as possible. The samurai dropped her sword and tore off her keikogi top, revealing a thin shirt underneath, and began tearing apart her keikogi and dressing her deep wounds with it. 

"The...victor, ladies and gentleman, is the human female!" the announcer said, trying to break the spell of silence that was on the crowd. It didn't work; however, it just made it more awkward. 

Although Shinko did not notice it, the man looked down to her and narrowed his eyes. He could see the glowing markings on her sword from here, and called to the man behind him, Shinko's former captor, to vacate the crowd immediately. At an amazing rate, he was done, the auditorium empty, just as quiet as when Shinko had killed the hell dog. The samurai still didn't notice, all of her concentration on keeping herself alive. She was so concerned with her injuries; Shinko didn't notice the markings that had appeared on her blade that excited the announcer so much. He then commanded the smaller man to go and collect the samurai, and quickly. 

He _would_ solve the mystery of this girl.

When her former captor walked into the arena, Shinko heard it, although she did not stop trying to dress her wounds. He came in from behind, and the samurai stood up and whipped around to face him, sword level with his neck. 

"Are you my next opponent?" she said hastily, harshly. Shinko was in no condition to be playing games. 

She took a step forward, but staggered slightly, and then just as quickly went back to her original stance. Shinko's breathing was heavy, and she knew she was going to pass out soon, or die. 

Whichever one came first. 

The man facing Shinko chuckled, "Look around you. This place has been empty for minutes. And, you don't look like you could live through another. 

"It's strange actually." He went on, despite Shinko's need for urgent medical attention. She had a feeling he was doing that on purpose just to see how much she could take, "Traditionally, the matches are always three rounds. For some reason, my master stopped early. Lucky you, I suppose all of your praying paid off." 

Shinko stepped back and her eyes narrowed. She knew he could see her mind, so she tried to keep it clear. 

"Didn't I tell you?" he said, stepping closer. Shinko put her sword up in a defensive position when he was three feet from her, "That doesn't work." 

Feeling like she was backed into a corner, and knowing that every passing moment was more strain on her body, Shinko rushed at him with a forward thrust, hoping to incapacitate her new enemy and run. But, in one elegant and unimaginably swift motion, he swatted the wakizashi from the samurai's trembling, loose fingers and shoved her to the ground by her neck. 

"Do you still think I'm weak?" he asked inches from her face, "Never assume you're stronger than me. And know this: you'll pay for calling my master a weakling." 

The fires in Shinko's eyes never burned out as her whispered those chilling words to her. She tried to pull the man's hand from her throat, but it didn't work. She was trapped, again. Shinko was too weak, again. It made her enraged. 

She even tried using a double kick to his exposed gut, and it found its mark. The only reaction out of the man was a smirk. 

"You'll never be stronger than us. Try attacking as much as you like, you'll only injure yourself. Now, you give up, maybe you can keep your life a little longer. What do you say?" 

Just like back in the chamber, her answer was spit in his face. His hand curled into a fist, and it looked like it was a strike to her face, but at the last second it went to her wounds from the hell dog. 

Shinko screamed in pain as blood and spit came from her mouth. The strike was amazingly strong, and it only made it worse that he struck to an already wounded area. 

"Another hit like that and you'll be dead. Is that what you want?" he said, frustrated at her strong resolve even though death was near for her. 

She didn't turn away, and she didn't show the fear in her eyes, although he could feel it.

Shinko's captor heard the footsteps of his lackeys behind him and when they said, "You called for us?" He replied with tossing Shinko to them. 

"Get her treated and out of my sight." He ordered, and walked away angrily. 


	7. Chapter 7

Shinko was half awake when the two men brought her to a kind of clinic and treated her wounds. She wanted to sleep badly, to get away from the immense pain from the open and bleeding gashes on her body, but she had a feeling if she did, she would die or be killed. So, when they started to bandage her arm and stomach, she offered no resistance, only because she had no energy left. Throughout the treatment, she prayed to the Lord. She thanked him for helping her to live, and told him she was sorry for killing that hell hound, no matter how evil it was. After she completed her prayers, she started to wonder where her wakizashi was, and why it was retrieved from her home in the first place. Why was she retrieved from her home and taken away from her family? She wondered, what did she have that other humans did not?

She was then taken to a bedroom to rest. It was large and well furnished. The men dropped her on the surprisingly large bed and left, which was completely fine with the samurai. Shinko was so exhausted; she didn't even bother to get under the blankets to warm her shivering body. Almost immediately after they left, Shinko, for the first time in a long while, slept soundly.

When Shinko awoke, darkness was about her again. She didn't know how long she slept or if she was alone. She sat up, but winced and grabbed at her wounds. They were bandaged; she remembered that much, and she knew that if she moved too much they would open. Despite her uncomfortable surroundings, she would have to stay put for a while, in the midst of enemies. Her eyes adjusted after a few moments, and she saw that she was the large bedroom she was in before she fell asleep. She was on a king sized bed with a heavy comforter, and the door, which was about fifteen feet from the bed, looked locked, but Shinko could not be sure. 

With much difficulty, she was able to lift herself off of the bed. Right now she only cared about escaping from wherever she was. Slowly, she made her way to the door, and confirmed her suspicion. It was locked from the outside, to prevent her escape. She looked around and found there were no windows. That chamber looked more like a prisoner's cell than a bedroom, which fitted her situation well. The samurai then sat back down on the foot of the bed and more carefully inspected her wounds. 

A gash on her upper left arm from where the Human Slayer had clipped her with his sword, and lower on the same arm was the spot where the man in the alley had bitten her when she had impaled him with her wakizashi and thought him dead. 

Then there were the claw wounds from when the hell hound had attacked her. They were much worse than the cuts on her left arm. From all that had happened, she was surprised she was alive. That reminded her: she laced her fingers together, closed her eyes and began to pray. 

_Father in heaven, I thank you for the strength you have given me. Without your grace, I would have died. I thank you sincerely. Please give my family a sign to show that I am all right. I thank you for allowing me to rest and heal, and I thank you for blessing me throughout my entire life. Amen._

"So, that is where you get your strength? Never seen a human that was thanking whatever various god they worshiped in this kind of situation and not asking for help to escape." An all-too-familiar voice said from across the room. 

He was sitting in a plush chair very close to the head of the bed. The man had a smirk on his face, Shinko discovered when she turned to regard him. Her heart rate increased then, and he noticed the rising fear. The samurai didn't say a word, but said to herself, _If the Lord wishes me to be here, then I must obey. I am only a servant.  
_

"I see. One thing: you say you're the servant of the wrong person. You'd better call my master, 'master', or there'll be trouble." He instructed.

At last, Shinko spoke. 

"No one is my master accept the almighty." Shinko said firmly, with more seriousness than ever before. 

"Then you're about to learn better. I'd prepare myself, if I were you." He offered. 

With that remark, Shinko turned fully to face him, not backing down. This was definitely not a time to show weakness. It was be strong, or die weak. 

"Why did you take me away from my family? Why am I important? Talk, or I will make you by force." She demanded. The last statement drew a chuckle from the man sitting before her. 

"I said before, you're hardly in a condition to do anything now." He replied. 

"You didn't answer my question." Shinko stated, leaning forward, eyes narrowed, "Please do." 

"I'm hardly in a position to be answering them. Perhaps you can run them by my...our master when he comes." He corrected himself midway to incorporate the both of them as underlings of this mysterious man Shinko had yet to meet, which made the samurai irritated, and he knew it, "I'm just here to make sure you don't kill yourself or something." 

"Only the weak would take that easy road." Shinko said, just like she had said to herself for years. She never thought of suicide because of that truth. 

"So brave." The man said, standing up from his chair, "Or is it an act to hide your true emotions?" 

Shinko inched back a bit from that statement. She raised an eyebrow, trying to look composed. Obviously, he wasn't buying it. He knew that statement made her fidget. 

"What's wrong? That cut too close to the truth?" he said mockingly. He took slow steps forward, just to make Shinko more on edge, "Here's what I think: you're terrified and you're trying to hide it, but like I said before, he stopped walking right at the point where Shinko was sitting and leaned forward, his face close to hers, and whispered, "it doesn't fool me." 

Then, he straightened out his back and stepped in front of the bed. When the samurai tried to turn to face him, he grabbed the back of her neck, which made her stay there. Instantly, Shinko tensed up, knowing that he was close. She could feel sweat beginning to inch down her forehead.

"So, what's your name, child? It would make talking to you easier if I knew that." He whispered in her ear, his cold breath bothering her profoundly. She tried to wiggle out of his grasp, but it only made him hold tighter, which made her already irregular breathing more difficult. She almost automatically answered in her mind, "Shi-" he repeated, but stopped when she had noticed what she was doing and stopped first. 

"Shi? Is that it?" he asked, smirking thinking he had the right answer. 

Shinko glared at him from the corner of her eye, although he could not see it. She then said harshly, "_No_. That name is wrong. It means 'death'. My name would never be that." 

"Oh? Then what is it, Shi?" he asked, putting a hand on her shoulder. It only made her tense up more. Shinko could not help it, and she had the feeling he was enjoying every moment. When he was sure she would not answer, he said, "Well, if you're not going to tell me, I'll just call you 'Shi'. I like it." 

He released her neck and stepped back slightly. The man knew what was coming next, so he waited. Just as he predicted, "Shi" spun around and threw a punch to his face. He half-heartedly caught it, and stood there for a moment. She looked shocked, and angered. And then he noticed what a strong leap she took. From the cross-legged position she was in, the samurai turned and practically jumped at him, which was almost two feet away. Yes, she was indeed strong, even though his strength dwarfed hers. 

He pushed down on her wrist, which made her wince and go down on one knee. It was amazing, with one movement, he had her almost completely incapacitated. She gripped her arm in pain. 

"Haven't you realized yet? You're _never_ going to catch me off guard. You might as well give up, any normal human would have broken long ago." He said, which made her glare at him. 

Indeed, why hadn't she broken yet? Why was there a surplus of willpower in her? It made the man frustrated. 

She tried another strike, this time a side kick to the stomach, which already twisted her wrist with the waist movement. In doing that, it halved the power, but nevertheless, Shinko finished the strike, or at least tried to. The man caught her ankle mid-way through, which made the samurai gasp slightly. 

"Maybe you should have tried a different technique." He said, and tripped her. With only one leg on the ground for balance, it wasn't a difficult thing to do. He just slid his foot under hers and swept it to the side. 

Without relinquishing the grip on her wrist and ankle, he guided her to the ground, and made sure the impact with the floor was painful. Shinko coughed on impact, and when she recovered, the samurai glared at her captor. He crouched down to allow better grip on her limbs. Again, Shinko tried to break his grip by shaking his hands free, but it only made him hold tighter. She had to bite back a whimper of pain from the hold. The man knew she was going to try to strike again, so he waited for it. 

Again, he was correct. In an absolute last chance strike, she kicked high to his face. The kick hit its mark, but if the man felt any pain, he did well to hide it. 

"Are you finished?" he asked, which made Shinko feel small and mentally shrink back. She had tried her best, and this man had defeated her within seconds. 

She was weak. 

"Don't feel too disappointed," he said, "you are quite strong for a human. But, that amount of power will never be enough to destroy me or my master. So, if you want to keep yourself from getting hurt, I suggest you give up now." 

He released her and got up, one hand in his pant's pocket, and when she tried to attack again by jumping forward, arm outstretched to punch, he was ready. He grabbed the front of her already torn shirt and spun around elegantly, and used that force to throw her onto the bed, her back slamming up against the headboard. She slid down and lay still, not making any immediate moves. 

"See?" he pointed out, "Trying only hurts you." 

He turned to leave, throwing a roll of bandages to her, "Rewrap your wounds. Your stunt most certainly opened them up again. And rest up, child, for my master comes tonight. You'll need it." 

With that, he left, locking the door behind him.

Shinko stared at the roll of bandages for a long time before picking them up. 

_How do I know _these_ aren't tampered with too?_ she asked herself angrily. 

Every time she took something from that man, it turned out her wounds would get worse. Were they trying to kill her and it wasn't working? No, it couldn't be, if they wanted to kill her, they had plenty of chances. She felt the blood slowly working itself out of her old wounds, and looked at the bandages again. Betrayal was too common, so she threw them at the door with all of her might, which made them disappear in a puff of smoke. 

_Strange._ she thought, and stood up off of the bed. 

That encounter had left her sore, so she tried to stretch out her muscles. She slowly rotated her arms and neck, which made her feel better. However, it didn't help coping with the rage building within her. She was still too weak to go anywhere, wounded or otherwise. Had all of her training been for naught? 

No, the opposite, she just needed to train harder. Somehow. Where was her sword? She wanted it back, badly. Why did they take it? She wondered. 

Though she felt her wounds still bleeding, she decided to pass the time by going through and practicing all of her forms; she needed the practice anyway. She tried to put as much power into them as possible, thinking the imaginary targets enemies. Every punch, kick and strike was more powerful than ever before, even though she didn't dare yell out, which usually adds power to a technique. Over and over again she practiced. Shinko counted about ten repetitions for each form, and she had many kata. 

When Shinko was done, she was breathing heavily from putting so much power into strikes. Exhausted and thirsty, she decided to lie back down on the bed. Soon after she did, she caught her breath, and rested more easily. The samurai did not dare sleep; even if her captor suggested it, she couldn't believe a word. She was on her own, and staying awake was the best way to stay alive. 

Hours passed, and Shinko tried to stay alert. Every time she felt drowsy, she either practiced some more, or prayed. It kept her awake, but training made her dehydrated. She needed water, and after a while, she began to feel hungry as well. Shinko thought of how in some parts of the world, people went for days without sustenance, so, she eventually gave up on getting food. 

This time also gave her time to think, although she could not be sure she was only thinking to herself. 

_How am I to escape?_ was one of the many questions she asked herself. _He seems much more skilled at fighting than I am. I need to get out, I need to, I'm running my body into the ground trying to stay alive._

She was, almost no sleep, no food or water in an unknown amount of time, and very serious injuries that wouldn't heal if she didn't get the previous elements. How was she still living? That question popped up often, and still all she could say was that the Lord gave her strength. 

Then, the door unlocked and her captor walked in, carrying a tray of food. She tried to hide how hungry she was, and stayed calmly cross-legged on the bed, although still completely cautious of the man. 

"Well, don't you look great." He said, obviously noticing how tired and ravenous she was, "Here, eat quickly, for my master comes in right after." 

He set the tray down on the foot of the bed and waited for Shinko to take it. She glared at him for awhile, not making a move toward the food, no matter how hungry she was. 

"Come now Shi, you have to eat. I'm positive you're starving. I promise you I didn't spike the food or anything." He coaxed. 

Completely disregarding his last statement, she replied angrily, "Don't call me 'Shi'." 

"I still don't know your name, why don't you tell me?" he asked more maliciously, smirking, "Am I really that intimidating?" 

Shinko's eyes narrowed, but she did not shrink back although he leaned forward towards her. She stayed silent. 

"Hmph. Aren't you the stubborn one?" he mocked, lifting his hand up and reaching for Shinko's chin, "Why don't you just-" 

His words were cut off when the samurai grabbed his wrist, and twisted it, exposing the elbow. She put her palm on the joint in a threatening gesture, which said if he resisted, she would dislodge his elbow. 

"I will not do anything you say." She said coolly, feeling more in control. Shinko was surprised he had not stopped her, so she was still cautious. "Tell your master to go back to hell where he belongs. I refuse to be anyone's servant except the Lord's." 

"Really?" he replied, and with his other hand, that Shinko had foolishly forgotten to pin down, grabbed the hand on top of his elbow just when the samurai decided to strike, and twisted it. That made Shinko flip over, and then he pulled the arm backwards, farther than the shoulder could go. It made the samurai bite her tongue to keep from yelling, and now if she moved, the man could dislocate her shoulder. "You will soon see what happens when you disobey my master, and I assure you it will be much more painful than this." 

His face was again inches from hers, making her wish she could move back. In their struggle, they had completely knocked over the tray of food the man had offered Shinko, but she didn't care. She knew it had been tampered with. The samurai couldn't move her arm at all, which kept her from moving the rest of her body due to the awkward positioning. However, her other hand was still able to move. 

She curled that hand into a fist and tried to strike at him, but before it could hit his face, he pulled her arm back farther, this time a soft yell escaping her mouth, and the technique stopped. Shinko dropped her arm back to her side. The samurai could tell the man was growing tired of her resistance. 

"Why don't you quit struggling?!" he yelled, and punched her stomach, opening up her wounds again. It made her cry out in pain, "Learn your place, you little bitch, and give up!"

He released her, and as soon as he did, she used both of her legs to strike at his stomach, which, like previous tries, failed. She then tried to throw a punch at him, which was, instead of blocked, evaded. He grabbed her neck and hoisted her off of the ground, and even before she could strike, he jabbed her in the gut and dropped her to the ground.   
Shinko clutched her stomach and coughed hoarsely. This time, she didn't try to attack her captor. She was sure he was satisfied with that. 

"Instead of cooperating, now you get no food and injured before you see our master. He will not be pleased." He said with his back turned, walking towards the door. His tone was calmer than the one he used moments before. 

"I don't care, and I said go back to hell, you bastard!" the samurai yelled from her kneeling position.

Surprisingly, he did not attack her, but opened the door on his way out and said to someone outside, "He will be coming in a few minutes." 

And with that, he closed the chamber door, and locked it.


	8. Chapter 8

When he left, Shinko struggled to stand. It made her cough heavily; it was putting stress on the wounds that had opened. Her wobbly legs wouldn't support her at first, and she fell down to one knee, barely keeping balance. The second time though, with more determination, she was able to walk over and sit on the bed.

She could not get over the realization of her strength. Shinko had been beaten again, just as easily as before. It made her want to hit something to relieve the anger, but instead, she decided to pray. That was a better channel for hate, the best thing, she thought, to fight hate, was love. The love for her Lord, and after about a minute of silence, she was done. She felt relaxed, but no less aware of her surroundings as before.

The samurai opened and closed her left hand slowly, to relax tense muscles there, and then the right hand. She slowly rotated her arm, then the other. Shinko knew that the man who had run the matches that had almost killed her was coming, and she needed to be as ready as possible. What would he do? Maybe she could get answers from the one who had ordered her capture in the first place, about why and what gain he had in kidnapping her. And, definitely where her sword was.

To pass the short amount of time she had more quickly, the samurai sat cross-legged and began to meditate. Thinking of nothing, she could hear more clearly outside, and tell when her captor's master was coming.

Then, after a few minutes of meditating, there was a shuffle of footsteps, probably sentries assigned to guard her room. It was strange, since she didn't hear anyone approach in the first place. The door unlatched, and it was swung open.

There, in the doorway, she saw him.

Her captor's master.

He waltzed in quite comfortably, the door closing behind him quietly.

Broad shouldered and tall, he was one an individual would not want to challenge. The large, at least 6' 4" man, had piercing yellow eyes, tinged with red, and deep blue hair, which fell over his eyes. One would think his hair was quite scruffy, but each piece sat in a controlled fashion, hardly moving when he walked. And, although a sane person would not dare mess with this man, the brave, sometimes foolish samurai would assuredly do just that.

"So, it's Ichiban Shinko, right?" he asked confidently, which had Shinko confused. She wasn't even thinking about herself right now; it seemed that his mind reading powers greatly surpassed her captor's, "Well, let me introduce myself. It seems my underling did not mention me, so I'll tell you now: the name's Sirach, but to you it's master."

She was sure she had heard that name before, and it was a few moments before she realized where the reference was from. It was one of the books from the Bible, the Old Testament, also called Ecclesiasticus. What Shinko could not understand was why a name would be given to such a horrid creature.

"How very rude." He commented, obviously reading her thoughts. Sirach continued to approach Shinko slowly, making sure it was as traumatizing as possible. She knew that she would be attacked, but not when, or how. "Do you know precisely why you're here? Why I bother to spare your life when I can have you killed in an instant?"

Shinko stayed silent, not caring what he said as long as she could take a swing at him if he stepped too close. As she thought this, Sirach's expression changed slightly, from pride to irritation. And, she could tell the strike was coming, and even though she put her hands up to block, she wasn't fast enough to prevent his hand from clasping around her throat and lifting her easily from her sitting position. Why did they always go for the neck? She wondered.

Because it can immobilize the whole body if the right pressure is applied. She concluded a moment later, the same process happening then.

Sirach confirmed her evaluation with another slight change in expression, and continued with the previous topic.

"Why are you so important? Why did I make you fight in those matches? Why did I have Ezekiel give you that horrid elixir? Yes, I have heard all of your thoughts, and I suppose it's time I tell you..."

As soon as Sirach said "Ezekiel" Shinko had stopped listening almost completely. Was that the name of her captor? Ezekiel? It was another Old Testament book, the writings of a prophet. It bothered the samurai to see the names of the writers of the Bible abused so badly.

Sirach noticed that she had zoned out and woke her up with a stinging backhand. Shinko had to bite her tongue again to keep from crying out. It twisted her neck to the side, and the stunning effects stayed well into the man's first few words.

"When your master is speaking, do try to pay attention. Or, you will be disciplined, and much more severely than this warning." He informed Shinko.

The samurai's neck turned back toward Sirach, she looked him in the eye and said, "Feel free to hit me again, but do so as equals."

"What?!" he yelled, flustered by Shinko's bold statement.

"My Lord said if one strikes you, offer the other cheek as well. It can be interpreted as follows: when one strikes another, it is traditionally with the back of the right hand, signifying a master to a slave scenario. I offer the other cheek so you would have to use the front of the right hand, signifying an equal view."

Sirach gripped her throat tighter mid-way, which stopped her sentence in a series of raspy breaths, since he had already read her mind as she thought of it. Then, he punched her on the side of the face she had offered.

"Shut up." He ordered, "When I want stupid comments from you, I'll ask for them. Now, do you know what this is?"

He pulled out a sword from behind his back, which surely wasn't there before, and had Shinko confused. Nevertheless, the samurai tried to grab at it with one hand, keeping the other around Sirach's fingers so she didn't suffocate, but soon discovered that he held it just out of her reach. In response to her reaction, Sirach slammed the handle of the wakizashi into Shinko's cheekbone. At first, there was no reaction from the samurai, just an expression of shock.

"Good. And, do you know how special this blade is?" Sirach asked, releasing Shinko's throat so she could speak. When the surprise from the strike wore off, she turned to him, and her eyes narrowed. There was something unique about this blade? She asked herself, knowing that the man would hear all-too-clearly. Where had she received the blade, and who gave it to her? Every time she tried to think of an answer, her mind went blank. She did not know how she got her wakizashi.

Obviously listening to her thoughts was Sirach, and he searched deep within her memories trying to find the origin of the wakizashi. It was clear when he didn't find what he was looking for when his expression turned into a frustrated one.

To vent his anger, he spun once, holding Shinko all the while, and used the centrifugal force to throw the samurai into the wall behind him. The air was blasted from her lungs when she made contact, and she slid to the ground, not trying to get up.

"Answer me!" Sirach yelled, walking over to her prone form, and kicked her in the stomach once. She coughed and clutched the point of impact, but did not move otherwise. He noticed this, and smiled evilly, although Shinko did not notice it. "Finally giving up? Or are you too afraid to move?"

She did not have an answer for him. The samurai fell within herself, not thinking of anything, not feeling anything. Even the most brutal strikes could not be felt in this state; however, they would be experienced later, all at once. Sirach realized this and tested how much concentration the human had by delivering another painful attack to her wounds, which opened up once again. He could see her blood stain the carpet, but it only made his anger increase.

He returned to his original question, trying to get an answer, "How did you do it?!" he screamed, "What did you do in the arena that made this blade react?!"

Sirach struck her again. "Tell me!"

He then picked her up by the front of the shirt and threw her low, so that she would slam her back up against the foot of the bed. No reaction still. The man stormed over to her. Sirach waited for Shinko to try to rise and then kicked her once more. She collapsed on the floor, not moving. Then, he reached down and grabbed the front of her once clean dogi, and lifted her to his eye level. He could see the blank expression on her face, the exhaustion taking her almost completely. She offered no resistance, no matter how much punishment he would give. Sirach knew that.

Finally, he summoned Shinko's wakizashi to his hand again, and slammed the sheath into her face. Her neck jerked to the side, and stayed there. He then threw her onto the bed and left the chamber, taking her prized sword with him.

When Shinko awoke from her former state, she felt the excruciating pain from Sirach's many blows. The kicks, the strikes with her own sword, all came at once, which was the cost of not feeling the attacks at the moment of impact. She used all of her willpower not to scream out.

As Shinko lay there, suffering, she noticed the entrance of her captor, which she now knew as Ezekiel. She couldn't move, and obviously couldn't defend herself, so all she could do is hope that he hadn't come to kill her.

He said nothing as he walked over to where she rested, and took a few moments to assess the damage his master had given her.

"Damn, looks like he was pissed." Ezekiel commented. "I commend you for living through it."

The only answer she had for him was a scowl, and a look of the purest rage. He continued, despite Shinko's glare.

"In fact," he said, "I think I will properly clean those wounds, instead of letting them fester and get infected. I don't want to face my master's wrath if I let you die. So, if you promise to stay still, I will help you."

It took a great deal of Shinko's energy to reply, but she did so anyway.

"I don't want your help, I'd rather let the Lord take me now than to accept assistance from you." She said in a low voice, using one arm to try to prop herself up on the bed. Her whole body was shaking, and when she thought she was balanced, the samurai's arm slipped out from under her, and she fell to the bed again.

"You still refuse?" he asked in a half-surprised and amused tone, "No food, no treatment, how _are_ you still alive?"

Silence filled the room, save for Shinko's heavy and slow breathing. Ezekiel sighed, and pulled the samurai up by the front of the shirt. At first, she threw a low energy punch at him to try to make him let go, but it was easily caught and pushed aside. Again she tried to strike at him, so he, as easily as possible, leaned her against one of the bedposts. Ezekiel moved back to view where the most damage was. The most apparent was the stomach, where Sirach no doubt struck her, for there was heavy bleeding there. He could also see two welts forming on both sides of the samurai's face.

And, the most obvious condition was the exhaustion in her eyes and on her face. Dark circles were forming under her eyes, sweat slipping down her forehead, and her raspy, sluggish breathing. Still, she glared at him, denying any help he was willing to give. She looked like she wanted to jump at him and throttle him badly, but couldn't find the strength to do so. He could see her arms moving slightly, trying to form fists with her hands, and her legs trying to move from the bed, but she couldn't make more than a few moves at a time, and even so, she winced in pain every time she tried to move.

Ezekiel took out a few rolls of bandages and set two on the bed beside Shinko. He began unraveling the one in his hand slightly and reached for the samurai's shirt. The man met resistance there, as Shinko put her arms up to block any movement towards her. He sighed again, growing tired of her opposition to help.

"Do I have to restrain you?" Ezekiel asked wearily, "Quit resisting help!"

Her eyes narrowed slightly. If she had the energy, she would have tried to attack him. Unfortunately, she could not.

Again, he tried to move towards her, but she tried to stop him. His expression turned to its frustrated look, and he waved his hand in front of her once. Instantly, Shinko's arms were pulled up, as if something was constricting them. When she gazed upward, she saw chains that were attached to the top of the bedpost, binding her hands tightly at the bottom. She pulled as hard as her body would allow, but they would not give.

"See? This is what you get. Now don't move, and I won't make this any more painful than it needs to be." Ezekiel said, and grabbed the bottom portion of the samurai's shirt.

Shinko tried to wriggle out of his grasp, but it only resulted in a slight tear in her already tattered top. With one flick of the man's wrist, her tore of the entire bottom part of her shirt, revealing the blood stained bandages on her stomach. She could see Ezekiel wince slightly from the sight, and he set the roll of bandages next the others. Ezekiel leaned over and began to peel off the pieces of cloth.

The samurai bit her tongue to stifle a yell. That process was incredibly painful for her, but, for some reason, the man was trying to be gentle with her wounds. Why was he being compassionate? She wondered.

Although Shinko knew he had heard her thoughts, he disregarded them and continued to pull the strips of cloth from her hellhound wounds. She tried to pull away violently, which only caused more pain for the samurai. He grabbed her shoulder with his free hand to steady her.

"Don't move." He commanded, not taking his focus off of his work. Still, Shinko tried to pull away every time he tore a piece of cloth away from her body, but every time he tugged her back to her original position. When he finally pulled the last bandage off, he straightened his back out to inspect the gashes, in the process releasing the samurai's shoulder. Then, he said, "There. Halfway through the first part, alright?"

Shinko glared at him. Personally, she would rather have kept the old bandages on. She had gone through enough pain already.

"And, if you kept those on," he replied, "you would have gotten an infection and most likely would have died, just like I said."

He bent over again and put his hand on the open wounds, which made Shinko grit her teeth against the pain. She tried to pull her arms out to strike him, but the chains held strong. Ezekiel used his other arm to hold her steady again.

"Hold still, you don't want my hand accidentally going into your stomach from your wiggling, would you?" he asked calmly.

Shinko pulled back, even though the bedpost stopped her. He allowed it, knowing that she couldn't go anywhere anyway. Ezekiel then slowly traced her wounds with his finger, inspecting the damage. He could see the bruises around the open gashes, from where his master had struck her. How was she still living was a question that sprung up many times.  
All the while, the samurai had to use all of her willpower to keep from whimpering. She turned away and closed her eyes, gritting her teeth against the pain. Her hands, which were fists now, were turning white from the lack of blood.

When he was done at last, he pulled a small towel out and patted the wounds. It stung Shinko, but not as much as the previous moves. Once the cuts were cleared of all fresh blood, he placed the cloth near the rolls of bandages. Ezekiel pulled out a vile and opened the top. Shinko opened her eyes and looked at the substance, and to her relief, it was a different one than before.

"Don't worry," he comforted softly, "No more of that paralyzing stuff. If you behave, that is."

The samurai's eyes narrowed.

Ezekiel disregarded her movements, flipped the vial in his hand, and sprinkled some of the mixture inside onto one hand. With his other, he roughly grabbed Shinko's neck, using his thumb to push up against it. She tried to struggle, but it only made her breathing difficult. And, to make matters worse, she felt chains wrapping tightly around her legs. She couldn't move.

Her heart rate increased and her breathing became shallower. She did not know what he was going to do, but she knew it was to be painful. Pain aside, she pulled fiercely at the chains binding her arms and now her legs, trying to make them release her.  
Ezekiel's grip grew tighter, holding her in place, "This _will_ hurt, and hold still, or it will be more painful than it needs to be."


	9. Chapter 9

He jabbed his hand into her wounds, placing each finger in a slash mark. Shinko's reaction was a low growl at first, but it escalated all at once into a cry of despair. When this happened, Ezekiel pushed on her throat, making the yell hoarse and then dissipate. She pulled and tugged at the chains, begging them to give and to relieve her of the pain, but they wound not. Shinko endured this for about half a minute, gritting her teeth, pulling at her bindings, each time Ezekiel putting more pressure on her neck, until he slowly lifted his hand from her stomach.

"I told you it would hurt if you moved. Once again, you refuse to listen to me." The man commented, looking at the wound closely, "Powerful stuff, it will be gone in about a day. That wasn't so bad, was it?" 

His taunt made Shinko pull at the chains, but they would not let them strike at her captor. After, he slowly bandaged the wounds, making sure they were tightly wrapped. She did not offer too much resistance to this process, since it would protect her to some degree. 

"Alright, that's done with." He said a moment later, "Now, let me see your arm." 

Ezekiel waved his arm, and Shinko's left hand was released from the chains, which she quickly used to punch at the man. It hit him squarely in the jaw, but his only reaction was grabbing her fist and saying, "Thank you." 

He pulled her arm so it was straight, and stared at the marks on her skin. The wound from his red-haired companion was still there; although the poison had been removed by the elixir he had given Shinko, despite the paralyzing affects. Also, the gash from the fight in the arena was still clearly visible. He would have to treat both, and he started with the lower part of her arm. 

He grabbed the vial from the side of the bed and opened the top with one hand, sprinkling some on the same hand while still holding Shinko's limb securely. Obviously, the samurai noticed this and tried pulling away, but to no avail. Ezekiel made it quick this time, placing his hand on the wound, and since it was a less grievous cut, was only there for a short amount of time. 

Although the pain was substantially less than before, Shinko still suffered, only showing a slight wince. When he was done this time, he applied bandages like before, and took the vial in his hand again, and putting more of the elixir onto the sword wound. He repeated the bandaging process and let her hand go when he was done, stepping back so she couldn't strike at him. 

Ezekiel again gazed at Shinko's two bruised cheeks and wondered what he could do for treatment. It wasn't serious, but there was no doubt in his mind that it was uncomfortable.  
Oh well, he figured a second later; he didn't have any medicine for bruises anyway. The man then cleaned up the materials he had used and took the chains off of Shinko. To his surprise, she didn't attack him; instead, her head hung low, and her hands sat at her sides. What came out of her mouth then made Ezekiel smirk. 

"Thank you." She said, but quietly. "I thank you for helping me, if you will accept it."  
Shinko lifted her head, eyes narrowed and cautious. She did not know how her captor would react. When she saw his expression, it made her scowl, seeing the arrogant smile on his face. However, the samurai made no move towards him, thinking that she at least owed him that much. 

"I accept it...if you promise to call me 'master' as well." Ezekiel said, smiling still and reaching for Shinko. 

Using this opportunity, the samurai grabbed his wrist and roundhouse kicked the man in his face, using as much power as she had. He felt it this time, and he snatched Shinko's leg as it was completing the strike at looked at her with pure rage in his eyes. 

She matched his glare and said, "I said I thanked you for helping me, but I cannot forgive you for what you have already done!" 

He threw her leg to the ground and lunged forward, punching her in the samurai's already cracked jaw. Her body spun around and landed sideways on the bed. She did not move. 

When he hit her, he noticed the Shinko's jawbone was weak. He quickly took out the healing mixture and touched the bottom of the samurai's mouth with a small amount. This made Shinko sit up and swiftly punch Ezekiel's face. She felt the tingle of the medicine working on her mouth, and held it to stop the stinging pain. 

"What the hell?!" he yelled, "I was trying to help you!" 

"I'm not so sure." Shinko replied softly, and then went for another punch to his face, this time jumping from the bed and attacking. 

Ezekiel stepped to the left, out of the way, and grasped the back of the samurai's half-torn shirt. She turned right after and tried to attack, but he caught the punch and, in doing so, twisted Shinko's body up so she couldn't fight anymore. 

"You're going to get yourself hurt again." He said. Though the sentence sounded compassionate, his tone was cold. 

She pulled at his grip and glared at him, but his hand stayed secure and his expression stayed dark. Shinko could see him looking down at her menacingly, but she continued to pull, though it was useless. 

Then, to the samurai's surprise, he released her. She spun around to use a crescent kick to his face, but he pushed it aside. Shinko tried to strike again, and it was also evaded. Every time she went in to attack, he pushed it aside or evaded it. This made the young instructor irritated and, with all of her power, she lunged into a side elbow strike that was promptly caught by Ezekiel. She could tell he was beginning to tire of her resistance, which made the samurai feel weak. She wasn't able to defeat him, but she would try anyway, until she died. 

"That might not be too far away, if you keep acting like this." Ezekiel said cruelly. "Now, rest!" 

He used his free hand to grab the front of Shinko's shirt and easily toss her onto the bed. Right when she made contact with the blankets, she sat up. She wanted to attack, but the man threw something to her. It was an almost exact copy of her now shredded shirt. Shinko did not say anything or look up from the top. 

"Here. Change, and I'll bring you some food." Ezekiel said, and began to walk away.  
The chamber door shut and locked, and it was a great deal of time before Shinko moved an inch.


	10. Chapter 10

Yeah, I was lazy for a little while so I didn't feel like posting this XP Sorry. Anyway, enjoy and comments/reviews are welcome and appreciated.

* * *

She changed after Ezekiel had left, quickly and without delay. Shinko tore the rest of her older shirt into thin strips and wrapped them about her arms, two on her right, and one on her left. It would symbolize the life she had before she was taken from it.

The samurai pulled out the crucifix necklace and stared at it. His _pain was far greater,_ she realized,_ I _will_ continue to try to win_. I can suffer far more than I have, and so be it, if I can get back to my family again.

Her stomach growled. She ignored it, thinking of the desert and the temptations of Satan. She would survive longer without food, if need be. Shinko would not take food from them.

As if reacting to this silent vow, Ezekiel opened the chamber door and walked in, carrying a tray of food.

"Let's try this again, shall we?" he stated tiredly, "I'm sure you're hungry, you haven't eaten in days."

_It has been that long? Shinko_ asked herself, then thought after a moment, _That makes sense, since I was asleep for a long while._

Ezekiel set the food down in front of where Shinko sat. She did not make any moves towards it. He noticed this and said, "I can tell you're starving. Just eat, it's not spiked."

To prove this, he picked up a piece of bread and tore off an edge. He swallowed without chewing and said, "See?"

"Your toxins probably only affect humans." The samurai guessed.

The man sighed and asked, "Are you not going to admit you're even the least bit starved?"

" 'One does not live on bread alone," Shinko quoted, and after a moment continued, "But by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.' "

"I'd let you wither away, but I have my orders. I can't let you die, so I tell you now to eat." He commanded, but the samurai did not make a move.

He said again, with much more force, "Eat!"

Ezekiel began to reach toward Shinko, when she replied, "Perhaps if you answer my questions, I will feel comfortable enough to."

His hand stopped and returned to his side, "Perhaps?" he echoed.

The samurai was quiet.

"Fine," the man agreed seconds after, walking over to the chair he had sat in before and making himself comfortable. Shinko turned around to face him, and he finished, "what do you want to know?"

"You are, Ezekiel, correct?" Shinko asked.

"Do you have powers of the mind as well?" he taunted. She did not respond it. "I see our master made sure you were well informed before kicking the crap out of you."  
"Why did you take me away from my family? Why did _your_ master want me?" she asked, putting emphasis on the word "your" for obvious reasons.

The man sighed, "At first, he wanted a new whore. Not just anyone though, one that could hold her own in the bed. But the lasts ones were pitiful; they died shortly after the first session. And they couldn't even last against the Human Slayer without Master's intervention."

Shinko was physically taken aback by his answer. She wondered if the fate of a common wench would befall her. No, she thought, it would not happen while she was still living.

"So brave," Ezekiel said fleetingly, "You looked like a prime candidate, so my late companion and I took you. After your success in the arena, Master Sirach was to bed you.

"However," he continued, "He saw your peculiar blade."

Shinko did not know what he was speaking of. Her sword was a standard wakizashi. She remembered Sirach trying to interrogate her on how to use the sword, but just like now, the samurai had no idea. But, if her sword was what saved her from the lust of her captor's master, she was thankful. It seemed that now Sirach was more interested in her wakizashi than her body.

"Do you truly not know how to use the sword?" he asked, reading her thoughts concerning the blade, "Or is it locked within your mind where I cannot reach?"  
So it was true, she confirmed. He could not see into her inmost thoughts. It did not matter, though, if his master could see deeper.

"True, I cannot see into your mind completely, why, I'm not sure," Ezekiel said, "but it won't matter once Master Sirach grips your thoughts. He will find the answer if you won't willingly relinquish it."

If it was a threat, or just a statement, Shinko did not know, but it was an unsettling truth nonetheless. No doubt, the next meeting with the powerful man would be a horrid one.

"That is why you must eat," he explained, hearing her thoughts again, "to have strength for it."

"Are you doing this out of pity, kindness, or because this is your duty?" she wondered aloud.

"The latter, to be honest. I must obey my master, lest I feel his wrath." He replied solemnly.

"How am I to know if what you say is the truth?"

"What reason would I have to lie?" Ezekiel bluntly said.

"To keep me mentally off-balance." She shot back.

"Very true," the man agreed, leaning forward, "but I do believe that is my master's pleasure."

Shinko mentally winced at his word choice.

"Getting back to the previous issue, for I am to extract as much information about the properties of the blade as possible," Ezekiel said, "Do you know how to use the sword?"  
She nodded, for indeed, she could use the wakizashi to devastate her enemies if she wished.

"Do you know of the special attributes of it?"

His voice was gentle, but still the tone showed Shinko that the man wanted an answer. This process was much less stressful on the young instructor than the beating she had received for not knowing before. She took careful note of that, and remained cautious.  
"...I know not." The samurai answered after a moment.

"Hmm...Perhaps if I tell you what I know of the blade, it will refresh your memory." Ezekiel pondered aloud.

"Perhaps?" Shinko mimicked seriously. She tried to seem at ease though she was alert and ready to strike at any moment.

"Master Sirach told me of the sword. It is a demonic blade, coveted by many of the underworld's creatures." He explained, surprising Shinko once again, "Once it draws blood, it hungers for the flesh of its enemies.

"But, it was lost centuries ago, in the world of humans, where few of the beasts dare to trek. I suppose they were Old World beasts; they didn't want to get too close to any holy objects, which would have been inevitable if they followed the sword." His sentence was finished and Shinko was puzzled. Her wakizashi was an evil blade? How could a sword hunger for anything?

"It was enchanted by devils of the Abyss, it is said; their bloodlust embedded into the blade, giving it power. Ironically, the fiends who forged it were not able to wield it. Only one with a human heart could. The people who used the sword were often weak-willed, allowing it to overpower them and use them like a marionette to sate it hunger. Every time it looked for a new wielder, one who was strong and like of mind, to help in its quest, all the while being passed down through the centuries." He inhaled and breathed out, thinking of the next thing to say.

Shinko was fascinated by the history of her wakizashi. She listened closely, even leaning forward intently, trying to absorb all of the details.

"Why it didn't control you, I cannot say. Its voice was said to be overwhelming, taking a warrior of intense power to even begin to hold it at bay." He said. "However, I do have a guess."

He was gone from his seat instantly, and before Shinko could even react, he pulled her necklace out from under her shirt, his cold fingers touching her chest in the process, making her tense and straighten up, while he clamped his other hand tightly on her shoulder, keeping her there. He pushed his weight down on the grip so she wouldn't move. She knew his face was right behind hers, and his body dangerously close as well, she began to tremble.

How could he incapacitate her so quickly?

He stretched the arm that held the crucifix over her shoulder, allowing her to stare at it as well.

"It might be this," he informed her, his breath bothering the back of her head, "Blessed by a priest, no doubt. This might have held the unholy blade back while you gained strength gradually."

Then, the man violently pulled back, releasing Shinko in the process. She turned just in time to hear him yell, "Damn it! That shouldn't have affected me!"

He clutched his now singed hand, where the cross had left a scar on his evil being. The samurai leapt from the bed, and barreled against his hips, using his moment of weakness to attack him. The force from the jump throwing them both to the ground, and then Shinko struck Ezekiel continuously, with flailing, full-power strikes. Punches, knee strikes, and stabs to the face were the most common, drawing at first grunts of pain, but then a mighty yell. Using that, he threw across the room to land on the ground ten feet away. She hit the floor with a great amount of force that blew the air from her lungs and stunned her momentarily. Luckily, it had not opened her newly wrapped wounds.

"_YOU BITCH!!"_ Ezekiel yelled, and ran forward, hoping to strike the temporarily paralyzed samurai.

She recovered just in time to look up to see her attacker. Shinko screamed in terror and rolled to the right, dodging for her life. No matter what he was ordered to do, it would not matter in this primal rage.

The samurai was torn off of the ground, flipped over the man's shoulder, and was hurled away. At least, it looked like it, but at the last moment, she grabbed onto Ezekiel's wrist and clung for dear life. She dropped to the ground and lunged forward, coming in contact with her captor's hips and wrapping her hands around them. The force pushed them to the ground, where this time her attempted attacks failed, and she was turned over by the man's powerful legs. He was gone again; her arms were promptly pulled behind her, and a knee was placed in between her shoulder blades, keeping her on the ground and stressing the joints in her arms. She yelled in pain, but it was stopped by a tug to her limbs, making her silent.

Sweat freely fell from her face, but she did not cry. Shinko would not let him have that satisfaction.

"I could break both of your arms right now, whore." He hissed into her ear, "Then I could run my knee straight through your chest. However, I'll let my master deal with you accordingly, and I'll have my share later. I will make you pay. Remember that!"  
He was gone in an instant, seemingly vanishing.


	11. Chapter 11

Shinko's arms were dropped to her sides, and she pulled herself up, and cried. She wrapped her arms around her, trying to steady her quivering body.

She fell forward onto her hands and knees, still trembling violently from the all too real experience. Shinko could see her own tears stain the carpet below her. She couldn't take the pain and the fear anymore. It was tearing her mind in two.

_Why Lord? Why have you abandoned me?!  
_

Her strength was gone in the next instant, and she collapsed onto the ground. She lie there, numb with sadness, shaking and sobbing uncontrollably, her arms limp on the floor. Shinko couldn't bring herself to move, she didn't want to return to her present situation. She wanted to be at the sword practice she was surely missing, teaching new students the basic techniques. The samurai did not want to be held captive and beaten senseless for something she did not do, or for anything, she possessed. She didn't want it, she didn't want to be there, and she didn't want to see either of them again.

Unfortunately, she couldn't make those decisions.

She stayed there for many minutes, too exhausted to rise. After awhile, the tears were gone, only dried streaks remained on her face. Her body had ceased trembling and her eyes where back in normal focus. Still, she did not want to move; did not want to face her problems yet. If only she had a few more minutes to stay there, in peace...

Right then, Sirach appeared, and broke that serene silence.

"Finally broken, I see. Ezekiel was speaking truthfully." He observed, walking over to the vulnerable samurai. "Perfect."

He kicked her brutally in the stomach, sending her flying back into the foot of the bed. Her back hit it hard, but as soon as she did, she leapt up, in a fighting stance.

"Not even close, you unholy bastard." She replied through a clenched jaw. Shinko was determined to make this meeting better than the last, now that her strength was renewed. It was faith in her lord, she realized, _He is with me! _she thought joyfully, _I wouldn't be alive if He wasn't! I must fight back, I must!  
_

Sirach's eyes narrowed, and then, he was gone. Instinctively, Shinko ducked, setting into a crouching position, and kicking up, guessing where his groin area was. Her hit struck true, and it sent him sprawling back, but not before he grabbed the front of her shirt, taking her with him.  
He punched her in her face, weaker than possible, Shinko was sure, but it still made her neck lurch to the side. After he regained his balance, he kneed her in the stomach and released her, and before the samurai hit the ground, Sirach kicked her, sending her toward one of the bedposts, and right through it. She landed near the opposite wall.

The attack had left her in an excruciating amount of pain, and she could not get up, no matter how much she wanted to. She was inches away from losing consciousness, but still she tried to hold on.

_NO! How can there be that big of a gap between our strengths?!_ she yelled in her mind, shaken to her very core, as she lay there, unable to fight back.

He slowly walked toward the fallen samurai, "You are merely human, little Shinko. You can never compare to me, never." He said, matter-of-factly, with triumph in his tone. He was enjoying seeing her fight back; it was all a game.

Shinko shook with rage, her hands turning into fists. That was all she could do, though, as she sat, leaning against the wall where she landed, watching the despicable man inch closer to her every second. Her vision was starting to blur, and a feeling of pure dread washed over her. What if he did what Ezekiel said he intended to? It made her want to cry again, but told herself not to, it was not the time, nor place.

She wondered if there ever would be a time again.

"I have the pleasure of saying, no." Sirach said to her, smirking, "You will belong to me until you relinquish the information I desire. Then, perhaps you will have the honor of warming my bed, until I tire of you, then I will throw you to the beasts."

She turned her head in defiance, until Sirach wrenched her off the ground by her shoulder and with his free hand grabbed the back of her neck gently.

"Until then, you are mine. I will do whatever I please with you, until you are no longer useful. But just _think_ of how many uses you have, little one." Sirach cooed, while gently caressing the back of her neck, sending shivers throughout the samurai's helpless, half-conscious body. Shinko tried to lift her hands to stop him, but her arms had lost all power. "Mmm, I can feel your terror, little Shinko, it's positively enchanting."

Out of fear, she found strength, and she tried the eye gouging technique she had used on the red-haired man. His face was open, with no hands to protect it. It would hit! She thought with glee.

It was stopped right before it made contact with his face, however, by the hand that was holding her shoulder. Now, Sirach held her aloft by the back of the neck, and tightly. The grip was most painful for Shinko.

And, the catch of her attack was agonizing as well. Not only because of the vice grip, but of where he caught her hand. It was right on her wrist, where he could freely control the entire arm. Her hand relaxed unwillingly, thanks to the grip. Then, he pulled it closer.

He pulled her hand to him, making it touch the side of his face. His skin was shockingly cold, and made her body shiver, as if he was taking the heat from her body. Shinko tried to pull back, but to no avail. The only reaction Sirach had was a smile of victory.

"You're making it so hard for me to resist you, little one." He said with a lustful tone, "I could show you a great amount of pleasure now; if that is what you wish."

Shinko's eyes widened so far it seemed they would roll out of her head. Her mind was racked with terrible, traumatizing images of that very scene. But, she did not think of these on her own. Sirach had used his telekinetic abilities to implant them in her head. She found strength in her fear once again, and tried to pull lose from his grasp. It didn't work, Shinko realized when he increased the hold on her neck, making her gag. Then, it loosened suddenly, when he found her gold necklace.

"What's this?" he asked, obviously changing interests. Faster than she could register, he switched grips, his left hand holding the front of her neck, and the right pulling the cross from under her shirt, his hand lingering there for a moment. "I didn't notice _this_ before..."

He winced slightly then. It was apparent that whatever happened to Ezekiel was happening to Sirach. This could be the chance to attack, Shinko thought, if it stuns him like his companion.  
The man was so focused on the necklace; he didn't make a remark about what she thought. It didn't seem to be affecting him too much, but it looked like the pain was increasing the long he clung to it.

Sirach let go of her neck, and she fell. The necklace stopped her descent, and choked her. Surprisingly, the chain did not break. Then, as quickly as he had let go, he grabbed Shinko again.  
"Strong." He muttered, "Well, let's test its power, shall we? We will see if your Lord protects you from me!"

Sirach tossed her behind him onto the bed. She landed with a soft thud, and quickly sat up to see him walking quickly towards her. The samurai knew what he intended to do. Shinko screamed in fear and scrambled off the opposite side of the bed. In doing so, she almost fell into the wall that the bed was close. Shinko caught herself though, for she knew if she stopped, she would be doomed.

Shinko also knew that the man jumped over the bed, looking back. Just when he was to get to her, she ran towards an open space in the room, hoping for at least a good area to fight. When she neared there, she looked back again, and saw that Sirach wasn't there.

_Oh crap! _she cursed in her mind, and at that moment ran into the man in front of her.  
He had gone around her, and cut her off. She stumbled backward and before she could regain her balance, Sirach delivered a mighty kick to her stomach, which blasted the air from her lungs and made her fall onto the ground.

She clutched her stomach in pain, and coughed heavily. The samurai knew he wasn't done, unfortunately. He crouched down and roughly grabbed Shinko's neck, which didn't make her breathing easier. His right hand was poised above her chest.

"Well?" Sirach asked, "Why don't you pray to your precious god for help?"

Shinko pulled at his grip, releasing her throat somewhat, "If the Lord wishes me to live, I need not ask; it will be given."

His expression turned frustrated, and he plunged his fingers deeply into her upper shoulder. Shinko could not hold back a yell as the blood flowed from the open gash. Sirach ripped his hand from her body, which brought another scream from the samurai. She clutched at the wound to steady the flow of blood. The man stood up and peered down at the vulnerable girl.

He licked his fingers free of blood, "Interesting taste." Sirach commented, "Definitely not the kind I like, mind you. How lucky."

"B-blood sucking tick..." she said quietly, using the same words Ezekiel had used. "What are you?!"

She leapt up, despite the pain in her shoulder, and threw a punch to his face. It struck, but he only smiled at her shock and anger.

"My dear, I am a vampire," he said proudly, grabbing the wrist of the hand she had used to attack. Sirach gently stroked the fist, making Shinko shiver in discomfort, and struggle against him, "and next time, try not to break your fingers."

Shinko tried a roundhouse kick to his side, but before it could land, Sirach flicked his wrist and sent her flying onto the bed again. She was now upside down, face toward the foot of the bed, offering a clear view of her captor's master walking away. The samurai was out of energy, exhausted, and starving. She could not offer a hand of resistance, and she thanked God that he was leaving.

"Perhaps if you ate, you would have strength to fight back. I suggest you do, for the next time I see you, I will gain answers about the demonic blade you wield. Whether it comes out by torture or interrogation is up to you." Sirach said as a few departing words as he left, leaving Shinko trembling in fear.

* * *

Ezekiel was leaning against the wall next to Shinko's closed chamber and had heard it all. His master came out grumbling to himself, and the samurai's captor wondered why he hadn't simply interrogated her then.

"Simple." Sirach replied. Even Ezekiel's thoughts weren't private, "It's just to break down her mental barriers little by little, so I can get the information I desire, hopefully until she snaps. I expect you to aid in that, since you know of her powerful will."

Sirach never turned to regard the man, just kept walking, probably thinking of new ways to torture the child locked in that room.

Ezekiel wondered why his master was going through so much trouble. Couldn't he just kill the girl and get information from some other source? Or was it that there weren't any left, and she was the only key to obtaining that power? It didn't matter much, he decided. He was still going to exact his revenge upon her in the most painful way he could think of, and if she spoke of the sword during it, that would just help the situation. For now, though, Ezekiel would let the samurai be until his master was done with her, and then strike. Yes, he thought, that would be the best way to do it.

* * *

_Stop crying!_ Shinko scolded herself as tears flowed from her face, _It could be much worse than this! Idiot! Stop!  
_

She had flipped back over and sat up, clutching her wounded shoulder. The samurai wanted to hide the gash from her captor, lest he use more of the stinging elixir on her. It had been minutes since Sirach had left, but still, her body would not stop shaking. She wasn't strong enough once again, and she was beginning to think she never would be.

No. she thought, _I cannot let myself think it. I would let down the Lord if I did. Although, I think I already have...  
_

More tears fell, and she yelled at herself to stop. She wouldn't, however. It seemed that only caused more despair. Shinko fell forward, collapsing on the bed, sobbing. She held her face in her hands.

_I have failed. I am too weak. The Lord is with me, yet, I cannot do what is needed. _her eyes stung and were sore, she looked to the tray of food that had strangely stayed safe throughout the scuffle with Sirach. She tossed it to the ground. Delusional as she was, she would still not accept the tainted food.

Her stomach was empty and her movements were shallow. She fell back onto the bed, and stayed there, the trembling of her body slowing somewhat. Shinko took one deep breath and steadied her breathing.

_Could I die here? Is that how it is meant to end?_ she thought wearily, eyes barely staying open, _Could I possibly eat their bread; sleep in their lair unharmed?_

She pulled herself over to the edge of the bed and saw that the tray had remained upright even though she tossed it aside. The samurai weakly grabbed at a corner and pulled it up next to her, and trying to lift herself up off of the bed. Though her vision was shot, she still could make out the contents. A few pieces of bread and a chunk of meat was all that was there. She was thankful at least there was that much.

She pulled herself into a sitting position and laced her fingers together once again.

_Lord, please bless this food I am about to receive. Though it might be tampered with, please make it edible so that I might gain sustenance to live another day. I thank you for allowing me to live this long. Please, I ask that this might do nothing to hinder my health. Thank you, amen. _she prayed, and took the meat in her shaking hands. Shinko took a cautious bite, and found that it did not have a foul taste. She thanked her lord again and within minutes, it was gone.

Shinko found new strength, but it only reminded her that she needed to rest. Her wounds were most likely worse...

_Wait, my wounds- _she thought and pulled the bandages off of her upper arm. The sword slash was gone. Shinko repeated the process for the bottom part of her left arm and saw that the bite wounds were gone. Then, she lifted her shirt and pulled gently at the cloth on her stomach.  
She gasped. They were gone! Nothing but ugly scars remained, and if Ezekiel spoke the truth, even those would vanish soon.

She smiled warmly for the first time in days. The Lord had taken care of her!

"Praise the Lord, for he is holy!" she exclaimed, though trying to keep her voice down to not arouse any that might be listening. Then, she said quietly while rubbing her eyes from where tears once fell, "He is truly the fountain of all holiness."

* * *

From outside, Ezekiel heard Shinko's cry of happiness.

_What the hell?!_ he thought frantically, _How did the effects get neutralized?!_

The man stood there in shock for a few moments. Despite Ezekiel's assurance that the food was clean, it had indeed been tampered with. He had a kind of tranquilizer put into the bread for his master's interrogation later. Why didn't it work?!

No doubt whatever god she worshiped was smiling down upon her then, for her thoughts were clearer than what he had seen before. Could it have been that accursed necklace? He wondered.  
He decided to enter the strange girl's chamber. He would find answers to his questions, and heal whatever wounds she had. Although he wanted to see her suffer, that was not his job.

* * *

Reviews and comments are appreciated :D

* * *


	12. Chapter 12

Shinko felt her shoulder and knew that she was not completely healed. The instructor knew she must have a bruised back from going completely through a bedpost. She looked to the side. The broken wood sat on the floor close to where she had fallen.

And, she must have a damaged jaw once again, and dark welts would probably appear on her stomach soon from where Sirach had struck her. Those injuries were nothing compared to what she had somehow survived. The food didn't affect her, and she felt so secure that she thought she could sleep in peace.

Shinko did not dare yet, of course.

The trained samurai would not be so naive. She was almost sure she was being watched, and that her health would most likely be reported to Sirach. It would soon be time for him to appear before her, and she wanted to be as prepared as possible.

She looked to the side again, gazing at the broken pieces of wood on the ground. With great care, she lifted herself from the bed and crouched near it. It only she had some way to form this into a makeshift bokken, a wooden sword...

Shinko glanced at the metal tray on the bed. It could work, but it would take too much time. There was much to be carved, and not enough hours to do it in. She laid her hand upon the piece gently, and suddenly it disappeared. She looked back to the bed, and found that it was set back in place. The samurai stood up and was grasped around the waist by an unknown force. She felt a sharp object near her neck, and she froze in place, not sure what would happen next.

"Don't get any smart-ass ideas." A cold voice said from behind her, showing no compassion. The samurai knew it was Ezekiel, and she knew he was not amused.

Now Shinko knew. His arm was around her waist and his sharp nails were threatening to tear her throat out. Her eyes narrowed, but she did not dare move otherwise.

Then, he shoved her forward, and she landed face first on the bed. Shinko tried to turn over to see her captor, but her grabbed her uninjured arm and twisted it back, pushing her against the covers in the process. She tried her best to hold back a gasp of pain. Ezekiel roughly pulled on her hurt shoulder as well, and when he did, the man came in direct contact with the gash, which was his intent.

Ezekiel's hand was covered in the healing elixir.

Shinko yelled in pain, but it was stifled by a tug on her awkwardly positioned hand. He held his hand there longer than before, which caused the samurai to squirm, despite the force he applied to her arm. The wound throbbed as he increased the pressure on her shoulder. She growled quietly in helplessness and closed her eyes tightly.

When he finally pulled his hand away, the pain did not relinquish. Ezekiel then swiftly lifted her shirt up and Shinko tensed from the cold air making contact with her exposed back. He placed his free hand on her flesh, and the temperature of his fingers did not help her. Although Shinko could not see what he was checking, she guessed that he was tracing the bruises on her back. Any slight movement of his hand sent shivers down her spine, and she knew he could feel every one of them. After a moment, he placed her shirt in its original position and released her arm.

"Flip over." Ezekiel ordered sternly. Shinko put her arms beneath her and tried to move away, but her pushed her down again. "_Do as I say!_"

With that forceful tone, he snatched the back of Shinko's shirt and turned her over, the samurai shrinking back from him. Ezekiel overshadowed her, and she saw his face. It was stuck in a dark scowl and his black eyes were once again glowing. He made no moves toward her, just turning his head slightly from time to time.

After about a minute, he stepped back and allowed her to lift herself up into a sitting position. Her heart was still racing as she wiped the beads of sweat off her forehead. Shinko looked up to him, but he did not say a word, just glared at her.

She shook herself from the lock of his eyes and stuttered weakly, "T-thank you."

There was no change of expression.

From the awkward silence, Ezekiel whipped around and walked over to his usual seat near the head of the bed on the other side of Shinko. He sat himself down and sighed almost inaudibly.

"Sleep." He told her in a quiet, but no less commanding voice.

Shinko turned to face him, and saw him motion to the bed with a jerk of his head, frown still stuck on his face.

She did not move. "No." she replied, eyes narrowed.

His lips cured into a snarl, and then he vanished, much like he had done before. Shinko gasped and whipped around, but she wasn't fast enough to block Ezekiel's punch to her face. Her body spun and landed on the covers, with no immediate moves to strike back. From this hit and the pain from Sirach throwing her against the wall through a bedpost, she didn't have any fight left in her. She coughed a few times while her vision blurred even more.

Before she lost consciousness, she felt herself being tugged toward a pillow and laid there. She could also faintly see Ezekiel making his way back towards his seat.

"Idiot girl." He muttered, and Shinko knew no more.

* * *

_Am I...dead...? No. I don't think so. But the pain is gone. What else could there be...?_ Shinko thought as she slowly opened her eyes to see more darkness. 

Her vision was obscured by whatever dark room she was in. The samurai was in a sitting position with her hands bounded by something above her head. And, she was correct in her observation. The massive pains she had felt over the past few days were gone, as if they never were.

However, she knew she was still in her enemy's lair. The cuffs on her wrists proved so. But if there was anyone in the room with her, she could not know.

The darkness in the room was lifted a moment later when candles near each corner of the visibly large chamber lit up simultaneously in an eerie green flame. A pale light filtered throughout the room, and Shinko saw no one with her. She tried turning her head, but to no avail; the bindings prevented her from doing so. After the initial shock of her surroundings, Shinko tried lightly pulling on the restraints above her head, and found that moving had no pain like before. The aching of her limbs, the pulling of the flesh around her wounds and the exhausted, shallow movements were gone. She had been completely healed of all ailments, be it hunger or fatigue.

Also, her dogi was returned to her. How, she could not know, for she had torn apart the keikogi trying to dress her wounds. And her hakama was half-shredded the last time she was conscious.

"Well, of course you would be healed, I wouldn't want you passing out before I get my answers." A familiar voice rang out from her blind spot behind her.

She did not bother to speak, but rather, thought the information she wished to tell Sirach.

_If you had such power, why did you not heal me earlier?_ she asked in her mind.

"I couldn't end your suffering prematurely either; it was too fun to watch." Sirach answered maliciously, his voice sounding closer this time.

Shinko's eyes narrowed and she tugged again on her bindings. She looked up, and what she saw made her gasp in shock. Rather, it was she did not see.

Instead of chains or rope holding her, there was nothing. The shackles holding her were glowing, which corresponded with the sphere of light about a foot above them. In between the two objects was nothing but empty space. A hand swiped through the gap, Sirach's, no doubt, to prove there wasn't anything there. Less than a second later, it seemed, the hand clasped the samurai's left shoulder, almost pushing down on her with its weight. Her body tensed, and again she tried to turn around, but she failed. She gritted her teeth and almost let out a feral growl.

"Great, aren't they?" her captor's master said, mentioning the cuffs, "There's no chance you can escape."

Those words carried immense weight. The realization stunned Shinko, and for a moment, she relaxed in shock. She couldn't escape. There was no way in hell. How could she have let herself be caught in a situation such as this?!

Her head tilted towards the ground in defiance, and her bound hands formed into fists. She snapped her eyes tightly shut and gnashed her teeth together.

"Don't cry, little Shinko." Sirach coaxed, suddenly in front of her, caressing her cheek, "You wouldn't want your tears mixing with blood, would you?"

The samurai slowly opened one of her still-dry eyes, and saw that he was dangerously close to her. His face was approximately two inches from hers, and seeing this made Shinko's eyes goes wide and her body lurch back suddenly. As if expecting that, he snapped the hand on her face and clutched the back her head tightly, pulling her forward and making her wince. He delivered a painful backhand and his expression changed to a much more serious one.

"Back to the matter at hand," Sirach started coldly, "Do tell me what you know of the blade."

When Shinko recovered from the strike, she turned back to him with a weak smirk on her face. She tilted her face and said, "Go ahead and hit me again, if you want."

Sirach stood up from his crouching position and shot his leg forward, bringing his knee into Shinko's stomach. Her body lifted from the ground with the attack, and then fell, but not all the way to the ground. She stopped abruptly; only held up by the restraints. It seemed that the invisible chains could be moved by an outside force but not by her. Shinko stayed very still, head hung low in pain.

The man walked to her right, around to her back bringing the back of keikogi with him in the process. When the fabric would not give anymore, a flick of his wrist ripped the whole thing from her body. A shirt that had been the same from before only covered her now.

He ran his clawed fingers over Shinko's semi exposed back, searching for a certain point. The samurai gritted her teeth once again to the touch, but not bothering to pull away. It was useless to waste energy doing that, when it could be used to outlast Sirach. Finding the unknown spot her was looking for, her took one finger and viciously scraped it against the place. Blood dripped slowly from the gash it left, and again Shinko did not do anything but hold her teeth together to keep from yelling.

"You must know _something_. So speak." Sirach said from behind her, then taking another finger and digging into her skin slowly. In the process, he continued, "This can all end if you talk."

"I do not know anything of the sword!" Shinko cried out through clenched teeth, trying to hold her resolve through the painful process.

He took his nail and made another cut, this time roughly diagonal. Shinko's hands stayed in tight fists.

"Of course you do!" he screamed back, this time taking four of his fingers and running them down her back. Shinko screamed in agony, at last struggling to pull away, but to no avail. It took all of her willpower not to burst into tears and give up. "And you will tell me, yes?"

He grabbed the back of her collar and tore the entire back of her shirt off, save for the cloth around her neck, holding the front together. The slice marks were clearly visible now.

"I CAN'T TELL YOU WHAT I DO NOT KNOW!!" Shinko screeched.

Then, with one hand making marks all down her exposed back, Sirach took his free hand and clamped down on Shinko's head. The pressure made her head bow to escape the pain, but the grip was so tight his nails were beginning to dig into her skull.

Now the pain wasn't physical. It went deeper. She could feel Sirach prying through her mind, effortlessly bringing down her feeble attempts at defending it as she closed her eyes and screamed. He was going through every memory, every piece of knowledge she had, somehow making her body spasm at times. She wanted so badly to fight him off, but she could not.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, she yelled, "STOP!!!"

She didn't know where the strength to call out came from. It seemed that something possessed her at that moment, whether it was the Lord or Satan, she could not know. It didn't even sound like her voice. The mental and physical agony ceased for a moment, for an unknown reason. She gingerly opened her eyes and saw that Sirach had released her. Shinko could hear him groaning quietly from behind her.

"W-what?" she mouthed silently, having no strength after that strange cry, "What happened? Praise the Lord."

Sirach clenched her shoulder after her unheard statement, and squeezed it.

"You bitch!" he hissed weakly.

The hold was powerful; Shinko could feel her shoulder popping out of place. She screamed in pain, but as soon as the man accomplished that, he fell back again, cursing under his breath. Shinko's left arm went slack. She wasn't even able to pop it back into place in her position. He came again, grasped at the invisible restraints. Somehow, he caught hold, and pushed her onto the ground.

His shadow loomed over her, and she could clearly see his angered expression. From behind him, Sirach brought something out. It was her sword. Shinko's eyes narrowed, and she tried to pull herself up, but her dislocated shoulder kept her there. Slowly, Sirach unsheathed the blade, and menacingly held it to her neck. Since he was sitting next to her head, he did not have to reach far. She could feel the cold steel on her exposed throat, which made her shrink back, although she could go nowhere. He smirked and exhaled sharply.

Shinko desperately tried to keep her resolve, but still panicked breaths and sweat from her forehead came. Her logic was not with her now, for, if it were, she would have known what happened next.

Sirach pulled the blade to her right, and with one quick motion, sliced her throat.

"Tch, stupid girl." Sirach said as the blade slid across the air.

Shinko did not even have time to scream as the blade came, she could just cry out in her mind:  
_LORD, I WILL BE WITH YOU SOON!_

* * *

The more I post this old writing the less I like it u.u Well, comments, reviews and criticism is/are welcome. :) 


	13. Chapter 13

The same shocked expression stayed with the girl even after the blade had run across her throat. A red line was visible there from the point of impact. No blood spurted from the cut.

Sirach looked upon her with a furrowed brow. He had stuck the sword into the ground beside him and waited for the inevitable.

What sounded like an attempt to speak only came out as a quiet gurgle. Shock had overcome Shinko, and her vocal cords weren't letting her say a word. Her right hand, the arm that was able to move since the man had dislocated the other one, tried unsuccessfully to pull her arm to her neck to inspect it. It stopped when the restraints held, and her arm fell to the ground. Tears were barely visible in her eyes.

Sirach placed his palm on the girl's forehead. Perhaps now that a powerful enough shock was brought to her body, it would release more clues to the sword. Some say that when you think you're going to die, every memory of your life shows itself. That is what he was aiming for.  
Finally, more clues revealed themselves. Her memories showed images of a younger Shinko, barely four or five years of age. She was in a room, her room probably, sitting on the floor playing with some wooden blocks. Beside her, the accursed blade sat. The girl didn't seem to be bothered by it at all. Why she had a blade at such a young age was beyond Sirach. Also, how she didn't hear the malicious voices coming from it was peculiar.

They tempted her with power, and threatened her as well. Sirach could almost see the demonic aura seeping from inside the sheath. Shinko then turned toward the blade, smiled sweetly, and offered a block with a number on it. How ironic, Sirach thought. The number was "6".

The block was slapped out of her hand and it flew across the room. She looked confused, but did not switch her gaze from the sword. It seemed that the sword had control now. Her pupils became dilated, making her eyes seem black. Shinko's expression changed as well. A line formed her mouth now, and the transformation was complete. But, when she reached for the sword, a strong light emanated from her.

It blasted both Shinko and the sword back in different directions. The blade fell to the ground and rolled a foot or so, and the girl landed on her back and stayed still.

Light was still visible from her chest. It was about where Sirach had found the necklace. _She had it even then? _Sirach asked himself.

Suddenly, the girl sat back up and walked over to her blocks, and started playing again.

The memory ended then, and Sirach released Shinko. It was also because the blessed cross had started its effects again, becoming more painful each second he stayed in contact with her.  
He took another look at her now. Her eyes came back into focus, and a deep frown was stuck on her face. Shinko's hands were formed in tight fists. At least, her right hand was; the left shoulder was still dislocated. Sirach had an emotionless stare on his face, and he stood up, his shadow covering her easily.

"I can see you're confused," he said, "Are you still wondering why that didn't kill you?"

Indeed, why hadn't that effectively taken her life? The blade was always razor sharp, and shouldn't have failed to slice her throat wide open. Sirach held his arm out to the side and pulled the sword from the ground. He looked at it, and said:

"Come on now, you're a smart girl." Sirach then slammed it into the ground millimeters from Shinko's head. "Figure it out."

Her expression didn't change for many moments, and then, it seemed as if the mental light bulb clicked on in her head.

_Human...heart…_ she thought slowly.

Of course, Ezekiel had told her the only way to use the powerful demon blade was to have that quality. Without it...

"Without it," Sirach echoed impassively, almost sadly, "It's as good as a sponge as a cutting weapon. So,"

He grabbed on the nonexistent chains holding her and tugged on them. Shinko was thrust upward as they reset themselves to another height. Only, this time, her feet were slightly dangling off the group. Sirach grabbed her hurt shoulder, which made her bow her head in pain, and finished his statement.

"You're going to help me figure out how to use it correctly."

He then took the liberty of relocating her shoulder.

Those words were barely heard by Shinko. The pain of the action he had taken was too much; her arm throbbed badly. And, with her back injured, she couldn't concentrate on anything but pain. Sirach released his grip, which made her fall a centimeter, putting more stress than what was needed on Shinko's shoulder. She stifled a yell and tried to reach the ground with her feet. She could just reach the ground with the tips of her toes. Sirach slowly walked around to her front, and looked upon her. There was no change in his expression as the sword disappeared from his hands.

Shinko's eyes went wide, despite the pain. This was going against every piece of logic in her mind. How could he do all of this?

Her question went unanswered as she screamed in pain. Something had attacked from behind, and was clutching Shinko's back. The burning sensation did not cease for many seconds, and all the while Shinko couldn't hold back yells of agony. Tears that had threatened to come out before freely slid down her face.

Then, as quickly as it had begun, it seemed to stop. Silence filled the chamber save for the quiet sobs of the girl. Again, her head was bowed, and tears fell directly to the cold, cracked ground. She heard footsteps, and her chin was pulled up to gaze at Sirach. He turned away for a moment and nodded to someone, Ezekiel no doubt, and turned back to her.

Her captor's footsteps trailed off and Sirach smirked.

"I told you not to cry, little one," he coaxed exactly as when he had said it before. Then, his face twisted into a dark scowl. He struck Shinko harshly with the back of his hand, causing her neck to turn to the side. "Or the tears will mix with blood."

She did not bother to look back to him; her head was turned in defiance. Sirach released her face, the side effect of making contact with her all too real. Shinko didn't care much; there was no escaping the vampire's grip on her fate.

"So, you finally accept it." He said almost happily. Less than half a second later, Shinko replied.  
"I might not escape, but no matter what you do to my body, my _faith_ will never break." She hissed angrily, staring him down with as much determination as she ever had.

Faster than her eyes could track, Sirach slammed his fist into her face. The bindings broke, sending Shinko to the hard floor, the rings of light around her wrists fading. She did not move.

"We will see." He growled, and started to leave.

Somehow, Shinko was able to start dragging herself towards the man, determined to strike him down. Her progress was slow, but Sirach noticed this and stopped, not turning to face her. This surprised her, but she didn't slow as he spoke.

"That mark I put on your back is only one fifth completed. You get to enjoy another addition to it soon. It will bind you to me for as long as your body is living. Even with Ezekiel's treatment, scars will remain. And don't think I have acquired all of the information I desired. That will take _much_ more time."

All the while, Shinko struggled to get up. She was halfway up when Sirach whipped around and disappeared. The girl tried to put her arms up to block, but she wasn't near fast enough to block the shattering kick delivered into her stomach. When she landed, she was ten feet back and was sliding down from the wall in which she collided. A slight indent in the wall was visible.

"Give up already, dumbass." He muttered and vanished, just like Ezekiel had done earlier.

* * *

In this semi-conscious state of despair, Shinko lie hunched up against the torture chamber's wall. She did not bother to lift her head; the samurai didn't want to waste the energy.

One fifth done, he had said. Could she possibly survive another session?

Of course, Shinko thought bitterly. He still needed her for information. However, although he could not kill her, Sirach could still bring her within an inch of her life and then revive her to repeat the process.

She wanted to cry much like she did before, but as Sirach had said, there would never be another time for such an action. Her head dropped lower in that realization.

Breathing slow and steady, Shinko meditated to escape pain. There was plenty of that.

The painful gashes on her back were most surely healing, although Shinko could not feel it. Some of her ribs must've cracked from Sirach's kick, and her face must have deep bruises on it, but there were no other injuries.

She thought back to when various numbers of wounds covered her. They were healed now, of course, but those had been obtained in much more favorable circumstances.

This time, she wasn't able to do anything no matter how much effort she gave. That made these wounds so much harder to bear.

_If only I had been stronger,_ she thought sadly. _If I was stronger, I could have defeated them without injury. WHY AM I SO WEAK?!_

Shinko wanted to release a cry of despair, but decided against it. That would bring too much attention to herself. Out of anything that could happen, that was something she wanted to avoid the most.

She wrapped her arms around her bent knees and rested her head on them. The samurai had started to tremble again, something that was now happening quite often.  
_Could it be the temperature?_ she asked herself, _Or am I showing my fear now more than ever?_

Her eyelids were getting heavy. _No matter what,_ Shinko told herself, _I cannot let myself fall asleep.  
_

But it was comfortable to have a minute alone out of the hellish surroundings she was in. Silence was abundant, and even in such an unorthodox sleeping position, sleep seemed so close...  
It was all shattered abruptly with three pains stinging her leg and both her arms. Shinko snapped her eyes open as soon as she bit back a yell. Three syringes were sticking out of the places that hurt. And, as usual, Ezekiel was not far away.

Her body was then racked with numbness. She did not even have the energy to pull the needles from her skin. Shinko fell to her side, not able to hold herself in her previous position. The small amount of warmth she had felt in that short slumber was sapped away by the cold stone floor.  
Ezekiel stepped into view a moment later, the pale light making dark shadows about the features of his face. No expression could be seen. He stepped closer, and when he reached the girl, he kneeled down and saw his work.

Without a word, he yanked the first syringe from her upper left arm.

A sound came from Shinko's throat that could not be identified. The closest thing it sounded like was a whimper.

"Healing..." he muttered softly as he eyed the needle he had removed.

Ezekiel set it beside him and pulled the one protruding from Shinko's leg out. She whimpered quietly, but didn't move otherwise.

"Tranquilizer..." Ezekiel said in the same tone, placing this needle with the first. "And..."  
He stopped abruptly because of where the last syringe was located. When Shinko fell, the needle dug into her skin at a sickening angle. At one end of her arm was where it started, and an inch to the left was where the tip was visibly sticking out.

His brow furrowed as he gripped Shinko's arm tightly. The other hand gently wriggled the needle free.

During this process, Shinko had her eyes snapped shut. Her lip was curled into a slight frown, and a small growl escaped from her throat.

"Anesthetic." He murmured and collected all of the medical implements.

He gazed upon the trembling girl one last time. Her expression did not change; it was the same scowl as before. Then, it slowly faded away as she slipped into unconsciousness.

My job is done, he thought fleetingly. After, with a wave of his hand, he extinguished the candles and walked from the chamber.

* * *

Thanks for the reviews/comments. Sorry for the one who asked, but sexual scenes don't come until later XD I try to avoid them for the most part. . . Anyway, reviews are welcome:) 


	14. Chapter 14

"Too little is being learned in a long period of time, don't you think?" Sirach asked while casually looking at a file from behind a desk.

It was his master's study, and Ezekiel was not invited often. Something drastic was to happen.  
Before Shinko's captor could speak, the yellow-eyed man continued.

"A new method must be approached. More painful injuries, and more terrifying visits. Nonstop. Well," he waited a moment to think, "almost. You will have to heal her with your most powerful medicines. The ones that take effect instantly."

Those elixirs were very limited, Ezekiel reminded his master without speaking. They would go to waste on such a cause.

"Do not question my needs." Sirach said firmly, leaning forward, eyes narrowed. "She is the only one alive that can help me achieve ultimate power. You understand this, yes?"

Ezekiel inclined his head. "My master."

Sirach made a reassuring sound of approval. "You will join the fray again, my servant."

Ezekiel heard this and had to struggle to keep from matching the smirk planted on Master Sirach's lips.

For a long while, Shinko did not want to wake. The last session was painful, and she didn't want to return. There was no way to escape; what hope was there?

Yet, the samurai could not let herself think that. The Lord would give her the chance, if she kept her wits about her.

Shinko opened her eyes from a tingling sensation in her wrists. It is starting again, she thought. Be brave.  
Again, it was Ezekiel who did this, as he had done a couple of times before. The last two sessions had carved a deeper tattoo into her body.

Sirach had quite an artistic sense, Shinko mused bitterly. His nails had cut writhing serpents and devilish creatures images into her back, reaching from the top of her tail bone to the nape of her neck, and even somewhat into the back of her right shoulder.

Unlike those previous encounters, where Ezekiel had given off hateful and spiteful energies, he now almost had a smile on his face. This was not of kindly roots, of course, but more of a twisted sense of humor.

Shinko eyed him with even more caution than she had before, if that was attainable. Her neck and eyes moved with the rhythms of Ezekiel's body. First, he would secure the chains, and then leave to enable privacy for Shinko and Sirach.

Today, though, as he went to the chamber door, he muttered one sentence that chilled the samurai to the bone.

"Tonight will be a good night, Shi." Shinko could hear the pleasure in his voice. Right after, he walked from the room and left Shinko awaiting the arrival of her torturer.

He came in quickly, as if setting up for a party. Sirach advanced toward her, Shinko not knowing where he was since he was behind her, and tugged at the imaginary bindings that held the samurai. This pulled the girl from the kneeling to standing position, where the tips of Shinko's toes could barely touch the cold ground.

"Tonight will be different, Shinko." Sirach whispered in her ear, his cold breath bothering her. It was almost exactly what Ezekiel had said. "Go ahead and ask. It's your turn to get answers."

This had severely shocked Shinko. She hadn't had a voice for anything other than crying in pain for many days. At first, her vocal cords refused to move, so she thought her answer.

Why would you do such a thing? Shinko asked.

"Go ahead," Sirach said, suddenly in front of her, which made the girl jump. "I'm sure you're dying to know some answers."

She stared at him, as if she had never seen him before, and was mute.

"Alright," Sirach started, "For every question you don't ask that you should, you will get one more pleasure with me in my chamber. But if you ask, it will be mutually beneficial."

Shinko knew what he meant by the statement. If she was provided answers without pain, she would perhaps relinquish information more easily, or maybe her memory would come back to her. She would get no beating and live another day innocent.

The girl opened her mouth to speak, but again, no words were audible. Sirach simply smiled malevolently and walked to her. Shinko turned her head to the side when he was inches from her face, so she would not have to gaze into his evil eyes. He slowly moved his hands towards her face, and she shrank back. But, Sirach snatched her like a fish in a river, practically cradling her chin in his hands. The man's long fingers easily reached the nape of her neck from this position, where he caressed her skin, making every hair on her body stick up; his thumbs holding her jawbone tightly.

"Why don't you speak to me, Shinko?" When he spoke, the girl's eyes were tightly shut, defying him the best way she could. Just like when he had made contact with her in her chamber, Shinko's body heat dropped from Sirach's shockingly cold hands.

Her eyes snapped open, and could just barely stop her body from trembling and her teeth from chattering. She only met the frightening vampire's yellow eyes, and Sirach could almost see the color draining from her face. He basked in her fear.

Shinko couldn't find the strength nor the will to speak. But, because her fear, she struggled to think of an answer.

Why did you take me away from my family? My dojo? My _life_? she asked the surely-listening Sirach.  
The man slowly closed his eyes, contemplating an answer. Shinko tried in vain to move away from his touch. Although he seemed off his guard, Sirach held a tight grip on her chin.

"That is a question that has plagued your mind since you were first taken, isn't it?" He opened his eyes and moved closer so that the tip of his nose lightly brushed against her for a moment.

Shinko's stomach lurched- as did the rest of her body- from him being too close. She involuntarily winced and tried to shake her head to the side, but Sirach dug his thumbs into the muscle beneath her chin. Shinko gritted her teeth and was forcefully tugged back into position.

"Didn't Ezekiel answer these simple questions for me?" He frowned. It seemed he did not enjoy repeating information.

It was true, Shinko told herself, her captor had surrendered an answer for that. However, he explained it simply; she wanted to hear an answer from the source.

Sirach said nothing at first; he tilted his head back slightly, closed his eyes and smirked.

"I have been looking for ages for such a blade." Sirach began, "A sword crafted by devils, by demons. So powerful and so corrupt, it wasn't capable of being wielded by its crafter, due to the overload of demonic energies."

He leveled his gaze to Shinko, opening his eyes and pausing for a moment.

"Of course, that's not why I wanted you initially." Sirach stopped once again, to allow Shinko's memory to come back to her.

And, it did, in full force. Ezekiel had told the girl that her first purpose was to be a toy for his master. Shinko shuddered slightly.

"An unfortunate accident occurred, and I had to kill the last wench." Sirach explained, "So, obviously in need of a new girl, I had Ezekiel and whatever work force he needed hunt one down. This time, I told him I wanted a whore that could at least provide entertainment for me when I wanted her dead, not just grovel in the corner-"

Sirach halted and clutched the back of Shinko's neck tightly, his thumbs still under her chin. Using that for leverage, he brought his knee into Shinko's stomach, making her eyes go wide, spit flying from the samurai's open mouth. This took Shinko by so much surprise that she could not suppress a yell.

Before her body could reach its previous position, Sirach grabbed the front of Shinko's gi and kept her aloft slightly.

"Is it amusing to think such thoughts?" he hissed, eyes blazing.

He was referring to what Shinko had replied silently to him, an act of defiance it was:

"So, you are so alone and horrid that you must kidnap and rape girls to get your sexual satisfaction?"

It had dealt a blow to his pride, the samurai guessed. Hence the punishment for it.

He was smiling then. "Think what you will," Sirach said with his voice evened out, "this just means you get to share a bed with your master."

Fear filled Shinko then, Sirach could feel it. Although the image she portrayed at that moment was unwavering anger, her emotions were like an open book to him; easy and irresistible to one's eye.  
He patted the side of her face with his right hand, and then when Shinko tried to shy away from his touch, his hand lurched back and delivered a painful blow to her cheek.

Her shock was genuine when she recovered.

"One last question," Sirach stated, "before _I_ start asking of you."

Shinko turned back to him, eyes filled with fire.

When will you release me from this hell? she asked.

"This hell," Sirach echoed, "will let you go in death." He stepped back a bit and continued, "A death I will never allow you to have until you are useless. Then, Satan will be yours."

Sirach stopped for a moment and saw her face. Shinko's expression had changed.

"You do not think you will meet him when you go?" The vampire chuckled, "How could you not? You abandoned your family, yes?"

Pure confusion swept over her face before she replied, "Only because you snatched me from them."  
His head tilted back with his bellowing laughter.

"You misunderstand, little one." Sirach ceased to laugh as he spoke, "It is only because you isolated yourself from them that they are gone from you.

"Ah, I see you question me." he stated when he looked down to Shinko, "should I explain? Or let your curiosity burn through you like the heat of passion?" Sirach laughed again before saying, "I think I will be compassionate tonight with you, little Shinko. I will recall when I first learned of you, not horribly long ago.  
"I remember when I first learned of you. Ezekiel had done his job well. He had returned with a photograph of you in your kenjutsu dojo. You surely looked perfect for me, and I demanded the preparations for your capture be made.

"After Ezekiel had left, I took a better look at your image. Even in a captured moment in time your aura was intense, burning with more evil than a hundred average vampires. I was awestruck, truly. How could this be? You looked human enough, and your eyes, although hardened with you own strength, showed a loving and all-too-human, mortal girl.

"I glanced at the sword you were holding, and I had to take another look at it. It looked like what I was looking for all of those decades, but there was only one way to be sure.

"As soon as my faithful servant returned to tell me the good news that the adequate force was ready to take you, I immediately told him to halt.

"I can feel the same confusion on you as I felt on Ezekiel. I told him the change of plans, and without a word of protest or judgment, he set off to do it. And do you know what I ordered him to do?

" 'Kill them.' I said, 'Kill them _all_.' "

* * *

Yeah, this is the last one I have on my computer for right now, so you'll have to wait to see if I put another chapter up or not. Sorry. : ( But reviews and comments otherwise are welcome : ))) 


	15. Chapter 15

Sirach stopped to better examine the girl.

Her eyes had gone wide with disbelief; her body was slack.

Shinko mouthed the word, "what?" with her lips, but did not have the strength to speak.

"Do you not believe?" he said, "Surely you noticed the smell of decay and the absence of your loved ones.

"No?" Sirach asked, smirking, "Of course not. You were too blinded by _obsession_ to notice."

He grabbed the girl's chin and pulled Shinko closer. No resistance was given, surprisingly.

"What's your routine, girl? Do you ever speak to a single soul?"

No answer, but her knew it to be true.

"Did you ever suspect something was amiss? Did you not ask yourself where your parents, and your friends, for that matter, were? No, never. All you did was martial arts, and you forgot about everything else. Save for your religion occasionally, and you even forgot _that _for the most part."

Shinko had started to tremble violently.

"No…" she said quietly, the best she could do, "It's impossible. I would have noticed. You're lying, you-!"

"What? If you had been caring for someone other than yourself, you would have perhaps prevented the deaths of your parents, any close relative and any friend Ezekiel could find. You are alone in this world now, little Shinko. And there's no one to return to, no one who cares that you're missing. There's no hope to escape, and no will to live on."

His head tilted back with his laughter again; that horrid malevolent laughter that shook the girl to her core. Her eyes must have seemed blood red as she lunged at him, teeth bared. It was her only weapon, and she would use it.

The invisible bindings held her at once, but she kept pulling at them in a primal fury. The cuffs cut into her wrists, making hot, sticky blood ooze down her fingers and arms. But that only increased her anger. She jumped and pulled towards the vampire, tears now freely staining her face, and she screamed a mighty yell of despair and hatred.

Still laughing, Sirach sliced the bindings, helping Shinko to attack him, it seemed. However, before she could make contact, he grabbed her neck and tossed her to the ground.

Shinko smacked the floor hard, but as soon as she was down, she was up again, throwing insane strikes at the man.

"You bastard!" she cried, as one after another strike was either absorbed by him or deflected, "Damn you to the pits of hell you unholy son of a bitch! _Bastard-!!_"

Shinko was abruptly stopped by a powerful jab into her stomach. She gasped and clutched the area, crumpling to the floor. Her breaths were coming in labored gasps.

"Bastard-!" she said hoarsely, eyes unfocused. She grabbed at his ankle, clutching with as much power as she had.

Sirach smirked and kicked her with the foot that she held. It sent her into the wall five feet away. He began to walk from the chamber then.

Her breathing uneven and her eyes wet with fresh tears, Shinko lay there, unable to move. She curled up into a ball and started crying anew. Her screams of sadness could be heard clearly, just as her breathing.

Sirach smiled to himself once more before leaving.

* * *

Shinko cried for hours, it seemed, for her lost parents. And, just as Sirach had told her, for her friends and old life as well.

Nothing mattered anymore. There was no one who knew she was gone, and no one who would bother to look. It seemed hopeless; just a vicious cycle of pain.

Why did this happen to her? _What did she do!? Why did she deserve this?!_

She had to be strong, she told herself, but then thought again:

_No,_ Shinko thought to herself, _I'm through being strong. Why do I have to be?! Why must I be on guard every second of my existence? Why can't I be at peace?!_

Shinko clasped her hands to the side of her head, as if to shield herself from her own thoughts.

With one hand, she pushed on the ground and pulled herself up, not knowing where the power to do so was coming from. The samurai dragged herself closer to the door that separated her from freedom of the place. She reached the middle of the room, stumbled and fell.

_Damn… _ she thought wearily while brushing the grime from her face.

Then, she looked to her hand. One of her fingers had started to bleed. It was strange, though; it looked like a cut from a knife, not a fall. Suddenly, a bit further up on her arm, was a deep bruise.

But wait- she remembered that injury! It was from when Shinko had tripped on the third-to-last step in her home and had clipped the railing with her arm. Why was it showing now? This was acquired years ago.

She made a horrible discovery then.

All of her previous wounds from any age were opening up, going chronologically.

Another few cuts appeared on her arms, various scrapes from years gone past. More bruises showed themselves on her hands, painful strikes with a shinai (bamboo sword) during training and sparring. These were more recent.

_But if that's truly what's happening then-_ Shinko thought, but was cut off.

A wound had appeared on her left arm, and she grimaced. The wound from the red-haired vampire! Then, the one from the Human Slayer's sword!

_No!_ the samurai cried mentally as the hellhound's claws ripped huge gashes in Shinko's body, although it was not there.

She roared in pain and fell flat on her back. Her body had started to spasm; she could hear her pulse in her ears.

The samurai looked around her. Blood- her blood- was staining the stone floor in every corner of the room. Pools of it. A sickening feeling came over her, she turned to the side, and vomited. It was strange, blood never bothered her, but now, seeing her own death so obviously close, Shinko could not help but feel sick. With this thick pool of blood there, she could see a ripple. Someone was in here, and Shinko knew who it was.

Shinko pulled her head off the ground and saw Ezekiel. At first, she thought he was here to heal her, as he always did, but then thought otherwise. Something was amiss. His eyes- they were glowing with their own evil!

_This is the one who- _Shinko realized, and before she could finish her own thought, the vampire nodded.

It _was_ him. He was the one who slaughtered everyone close to her like cattle!

Only fear propelled her now as she screamed and scrambled back into a corner. She was shaking again. She put her arms in front of herself to hide from him and turned her head to the side.

She knew he was here to dispose of her, despite her better judgment. It did not matter what his master had ordered, he was here to do what he did to everyone else! And in the most gruesome way!

Shinko had not realized that she had her eyes snapped shut until she peeked out with one eye. And there was his face, so close to hers that she could spit at him. She gasped and barely bit back a scream.

She shielded against him once again, though she wasn't sure how much good it would do.

"Get back…" she hissed weakly, the words hardly above a whisper, "Get back!!"

Somehow, Ezekiel ripped through her guarding arms to her neck, and plucked her clean off the ground. He stood to his full size.

A malevolent smirk was on his face at that moment, seeing the absolute terror in the girl's eyes. What a twisted and distorted smile it was! And, it was matched with his insane asylum-worthy eyes. They were so wide they seemed as though they would fall from the sockets, and the girl could see the red veins around the edges!

Shinko did not do anything. She couldn't. Tears formed in her eyes and flowed freely a moment later. The samurai had never felt anything as this; she was completely paralyzed.

Then, as if in response, Ezekiel leaned towards her neck, found a vein, and sat his mouth there. He lingered there a moment, his lips on her skin. Absolute panic. That was it.

His teeth broke her skin then, and Shinko's life began to drain away, just as her blood.

* * *

Ezekiel looked down at the shriveled, pathetic form of the girl. Tears still stained her cheeks, her eyes were distant and glazed over. The dingy room now reeked from her body. Sweat, vomit and urine. It was all there.

Her eyes came back into focus after a moment. Confusion. She looked to her hands and found no injuries. Her stomach wasn't bleeding. Even her neck had no bite marks or incisions. What had happened? How could all of that have been a dream?

Not a dream, Ezekiel told her without speaking, but a powerful illusion.

She couldn't hear him, and even if she could, the girl would never understand what kind of magic he had worked on her. Shinko looked up, seeing her captor, and the panic she had known during the illusion came back with even more force. She tried to get up, to move away from him, but she could not. In her shaken state, she couldn't do much of anything.

He smiled, mostly to himself, and crouched down to view her. Shinko pushed on the ground and tried to move away, but her limbs did not have the strength. Color drained from her face.

"We are even." Ezekiel said.

If Shinko had the ability to speak, she would have questioned his words.

"No more resistance from you." His words were quiet. He reached for her forehead.

Shinko's eyes widened, but couldn't move.

When his fingers made contact with her, he could see everything. Her mind was in tatters.

_Perfect._ Ezekiel thought, _even _I _can access the secret now. _

His abilities made her years pass by in seconds. Nothing important. Then, a flicker of the origin of her sword appeared. Before he could learn of anything, however, someone had entered the chamber. Ezekiel moved his hand away and stood to face him.

"Master." He acknowledged with a bowed head.

"Well done, my faithful servant." Sirach told him. The master could feel Ezekiel darken. He knew what Sirach came here to do.

"Yes." Sirach confirmed, "I am here to take the spoils of my labor."

Shinko's captor lifted his head and looked at his master, telling him mentally that without his powerful mind trick, the girl would have never broken. Sirach smirked, Ezekiel saw, but his eyes did not track anything more. An instant later he was shattered against the wall, his injuries already healing. And his master was already bent over the prone form of the girl.

This filled Ezekiel with anger, but he did not dare move. He would wait for his master to leave before he would adjust his position a millimeter.

It did not take long. Sirach gathered up the body of Shinko and closed the chamber door not much later. Ezekiel lifted himself off the ground, brushed his clothes off, and looked back to where Sirach had thrown him. There was a crevice in the wall from where his body had made the impact. In a few more seconds, though, all the pains from the occurrence would be gone; such was the life of a vampire. Ezekiel glared at the mark, but left afterward as well, with a final thought:

_Her god will be with her if she escapes this night alive._

* * *

Woah, I updated! I hope you all enjoy this, considering how long it took to post this. : )


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